Repressed Memories
by Night Fairy 213
Summary: Axl has kept the memories of Red Alert's defeat in the back of his mind, but just how much longer will he be able to keep them at bay? Just a simple Axl story since he needs more love. Rated for some swearing and maybe some violence later on.
1. Normal

Greetings fellow writers and readers! *Scratches back of neck* Look, I'm kinda not sure how to start this off since I've never written a story about-

Bass: *Holding Roll* Just get it started already!

Me: Fine! And why are YOU here?! This story doesn't even have you two in it!

Zero: *Sweat-drops* Don't ask...

Me: *Sighs* Anyway, this is my first Megaman, Megaman X to be exact, story so please don't be too harsh. I am a big fan of Megaman series though I will probably have trouble keeping some of the guys, mainly Zero, in character. So even though I've been here for a while, please feel free to point out any mistakes or make suggestions; just no flames. Or I will send all the Maverick Hunters on you.

Axl: And I have an itchy trigger finger **C|**

Me: Yes you do **:3** Since you're here, would you do the disclaimer?

Axl: Sure! **Disclaimer: ****Night Fairy 213 here does NOT own Megaman or it's characters in anyway!**

Me: Trust me if I did, X9 and Megaman Legends 3 would've been out 2-3 years ago. **|(** Also please keep something in mind. This is set after Command Mission and X8. Mainly because I wanted to include Cinnamon, Massino, Spider and the others **:3**

Cinnamon: Wait, but I thought Spider-kun was-

Me: **NOPE!** THAT ENDING **DID NOT HAPPEN****!**

Everyone: **O~O;;;**

Me: Seriously! Capcom creates a bad-ass character, and then they FRICK it up!** T^T**

Spider: Um...I'm pleased to hear that you think so highly of me, but can we please get this started?

Me: Ok, fine...Just keep this in mind, readers who have played CM or have seen it, put that one moment at the end with Redpis out of your heads. It doesn't exist here. He's another character entirely. **^.^**

Massino: Wait, what part of the mo-

Me: **IT DOESN'T EXIST HERE. ~^.^~  
**

Everyone: ...

* * *

Another slow day...That's what Axl thought to himself, sitting in the mess hall. Ever since they had defeated Sigma, Lumine, and most recently Redpis, the only threats now-a-days were slight Maverick outbreaks. Though all of them were relatively small in numbers. He knew he should be happy, thrilled even, that all major threats had been eliminated; for now at least. Something though didn't sit right with him, not so much to stop his happy-go-lucky attitude, but just enough to make him stop and think.

"Axl?" Axl snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the voice that called him. It was Zero, one of the eldest Maverick hunters, and someone whom Axl highly looked up to. Even if sometimes he did get on the old hunters nerves.

"Oh, hey Zero!" Axl said, chipper as always, "What you up to?"

"I could ask you the same thing. You were here two hours ago, sitting in the same place..." Axl blinked,

"S-Seriously?" The young Reploid scratched the back on his head, chuckling as he did so, "I guess I was thinking pretty hard about something..." Zero rolled his eyes at Axl's comment,

"Ya, you say that every time..." Zero turned to the door, "C'mon. I actually came to get you. X still wants you get yourself checked regularly after what happened with Lumine, remember?"

"Oh. Right..." Axl stood up and stretched. "I swear he worries too much. That happened like, what, 5 months ago?" Axl said looked up, trying to recount how much time had passed since they took Lumine out. Zero just shrugged,

"Well you know X. Always a bit on edge. He's just making sure nothings up."

"On edge? Try paranoid." Axl sighed. Zero sent him a look and Axl threw his hands up. "H-Hey, I'm not insulting him or anything! Far from it! I just wish he wouldn't worry so much is all..." Zero blinked before crossing his arms, leaning against a wall,

"I understand that, but you have to remember he's been through a lot, maybe a little more than me." Axl nodded,

"Ya, I know." Axl then made his way out of the mess hall to his check up, Zero behind him.

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

"Well, everything checks out fine! No problems this time either." The female lifesaver smiled as Axl grinned,

"Like always right? See X? No problems for months!" X, who was there along with Zero, nodded,

"Well, never can be too careful. But yes, it seems you've been OK for the past checkups."

"Sooo...Does this mean I can stop doing this every month?" Axl asked, giving his best puppy dog stare. Zero chuckled while X sweat-dropped, though still finding the situation humorous, he decided to play off of Axl's stare,

"Well, I'm not sure. It depends whether you decide to get critically injured again and then when you wake up your first instinct is to grab your guns. And almost try to shoot everything." The young Reploid flinched a little, his expression one of shock. Zero tried to hold back a laugh.

"Hey, that was an accident, you know that!" Axl said, grabbing his guns and holding them behind him. X held a hand up, a smile on his face,

"Don't worry, just a tease." He placed a finger to his chin. "Since there haven't been any complications for a while, you may stop coming in for check ups." Axl could've jumped for joy from X's answer,

"You serious?! Yes!" Axl was ready to grab his things and run out of the room, but X crossed his arms, meaning he wasn't done. Axl had picked up on some of X's body language a while back. He could now tell when X wasn't finished with a sentence or worse yet, when he wanted to lecture someone; mostly Axl himself. He still had trouble figuring out when X wanted to be left alone, since Zero still had to tell him most of the time.

"Just promise me this. You feel any abnormalities, any at all, you come straight to Zero or I. That clear?" Axl blinked at his teammates words, before smirking and giving the older one a nod. He knew that X was just making sure that nothing would happen, and was happy that he was cared about,

"Ya I promise, but I'm ok now X, really! I could probably take on 30 mavericks!" Axl exclaimed, flashing a cocky smile. Zero rolled his eyes,

"Oh really? Like the time we were surrounded by that exact number of mavericks and you accidentally used your copy shot to look like a girl?" Axl felt his mouth drop as it was X's turn to hold back chuckles,

"You said you'd never mention that again!" Axl yelled, pointed a finger at his elder. Zero just smirked,

"I lied."

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

Axl was mumbling, complete with pout face, while walking through H.Q.,

"Stupid Zero making fun of me. It was just a malfunction for Pete's sake!" He ignored the looks from the younger trainee Reploids and made his way to the bridge. It wasn't that long of a walk to get there, but the structure itself was at least a half a mile. Why Axl didn't know, but he figured it was so that the main control room would be separate and far from attacks, though it didn't really protect it from aerial ones. Axl let his mind wander as he crossed his arms while resting them, and his upper body, on the rail. He liked it here since he could think things out and watch the sun set when he wanted to. The bridge was never too noisy so it was nice and quiet; perfect for relaxing after a long day, mission, or both. Axl thought back to X and Zero's teasing. He felt himself smile, knowing the two were joking with him, like any good friends would. It felt nice to have people around him that cared and would hear his problems out. Even if sometimes X and/or Zero thought some of his problems were due to his...hyperness. The other group that excepted him was he old team, Red Alert, though Axl tried not to think about those days much. After Red's defeat, and most likely death, Axl had buried most of the memories with the team into the back of his mind. He didn't want to think about anything that he regretted to which could jeopardize a mission.

Axl let out a sigh as he stared at the horizon,

"Doesn't really change much. At least until the sun goes down." He rested his head on his arms as he felt himself dozing off.

...

...

_"...Axl..."_

Axl's eyes shot open as he straightened himself up, looking to both sides. Nobody was around him, aside from a bird or two.

"I'm hearing things." He stretched, "Defiantly a sign I'm super beat..."

"Who beat you, Axl-kun?" Axl turned to see a young nurse reploid, about his age, standing next him. It was Cinnamon who was very skilled at what she did, though could be a bit naive. Axl smiled at her,

"Hey Cinn. No one did, I'm just tired." Cinnamon nodded,

"Oh I see. So how are your check ups going?" Axl gave a huge smirk and said,

"Pretty good. So good in fact I don't have to go anymore!" Cinnamon gave a bright smile,

"That's great Axl-kun! I'm glad you're all better!" Axl chuckled,

"Thanks, though I think I've been better since the second check up."

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

* * *

Well...That actually wasn't too bad.

Bass: Speak for yourself.

Me: ***GLARE***

X: Alright, let's stop before chaos ensues!

Axl: Stop what exactly? The chapter in general or their disagreement?

X: ...

Zero: I'm thinking both.


	2. Realize

*Sneaks in* Helloooo? Anybody here? *No response* Phew! They're gone. Well readers, I am happy to present this next chapter after making you guys wait. *Bows* I'm SO sorry for that, but both personal and family issues got in the way. Now I'm back and ready for action! I promise to deliver chapters to you guys faster than before! Now-

Zero: A-**HA**!

Me: D8

Bass: GOT YOU NOW SLACKER!

Me: Gotta go! See ya guys hopefully at the end of this chapter! *Runs away*

_The two serious ones_: *Chase after me*

Spider: *Squeezing Temples* Good God...

* * *

Axl opened his eyes and found himself surrounded in darkness. He felt uncomfortable as if the space itself was offsetting, not just one part of it. He couldn't see anything in front or around him,

"Where...?" Axl felt the air leave him quite easily, so he refrained from speaking. What in the world was going on?

"Axl..." The reploid froze. That voice...It was belonged to one he knew, one who he was both allies and enemies with. He slowly turned his head to look over his shoulders, silently praying that he wouldn't see anything, and went still with fear.

_"A-Ah...AH..."_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_**"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"**_ Axl's scream echoed throughout the room. He struggled to catch his breath as he looked around. He was no longer in the dark space, but in his own room. He sighed in relief,

"A dream...That's all it was." He brushed the sweat from his forehead and took a inhaled deeply, regaining his composure. All of a sudden he heard footsteps outside his door, it opening a few seconds later,

"Axl?" It was X. Axl blinked before smiling his usual smile, as best he could anyway,

"Oh. Hey X. What's up? Did I sleep in again?"

"Axl. It's 2 in the morning." Axl paused,

"R-Really? Then what are YOU still doing up?"

"I actually just woke up. By your screaming in fact." X gave his comrade a concerned look, "What happened?" Axl blinked and looked down, a bit embarrassed. He couldn't tell X he was shaken up by a stupid nightmare. He, worse off Zero, would never let himself hear the end of it; if Zero found out. Axl chuckled nervously,

"I just fell out of the bed and hit my head on something. Nothing too major!" He smiled as wide as he could, but from X's expression, the blue reploid clearly didn't buy into the copy repoild's lie,

"Axl, that wasn't painful scream. What really happened?" Axl went wide eyed. Curse X for being so good at reading people. He looked down again and sighed,

"I...I had a nightmare." He felt X's eyes stare at him. Would he sigh in annoyance? Tell him to go back to sleep and act like it was a trivial matter because he was younger than him? Axl slightly shivered at the thought, but to his surprise, no sighed annoyance or scold came,

"That bad, huh?" The young reploid's head shot up as he found X giving him a look that could only be described as sympathetic. X then walked over and sat next to him, "Those types of dreams are never good things to go through." Axl couldn't believe his ears. X was actually comforting him! Though he didn't know why, he felt a little more calm than before. It felt nice to be concerned for. X continued, "Everyone gets them, you know." The young reploid blinked,

"Even...Even you?" X nodded, giving a small smile,

"You'd be surprised how stress can get to you." Axl smiled back, but looked away shortly after,

"So...You're not gonna think of me any less?" X looked at him a bit shocked,

"Of course not." Axl nodded, a bit in disbelief as X gave him another concerned look. Axl rarely, in fact very rarely, looked so forlorn. It was as if he didn't fully believe X's words. Sure, the two of them were years apart, and sometimes the young one got on his nerves, but it didn't mean he didn't care for Axl. X remembered all those sleepless nights. He couldn't sleep due to so many horrible images he saw when he did. He shuddered a little just thinking back on those memories, but took a deep breath.

"It's just..." Axl sighed again, "It's silly for me to be afraid over this. I mean, I'm a maverick hunter! I've seen way worse. Well, sort of..." Axl's voice grew quiet nearing the end of his sentence. X picked up the final words though, as his head tilted a little,

"What was it about? If you don't mind me asking." Axl froze. Thinking back on that image that was shown to him in that dark void. That horrible picture of...He slightly clutched his covers as he shook his head slightly. X stared as he realized that whatever Axl saw in his dream, really effected him to the point of absolute terror. X placed a hand on Axl's shoulder, as the said reploid looked at him a little surprised, "Axl, dreams that make you feel this bad are no laughing matter. Trust me, I know this. And no, being scared of this doesn't make me think any less of you. I understand where you are coming from and understand that you don't want to talk about it." Axl was stunned. He didn't think X could be this...brotherly. It felt strangely comforting; almost soothing. Axl smiled, a little bashful from X's behavior, since no one really talked to him like this in a while,

"...Thanks X. I...Really needed that." X smiled back and nodded,

"It's no problem." X stood up, "You want to get something to eat? Might do you some good." Axl nodded as he followed X to the mess hall. The elder reploid turned and gave Axl a reassuring smile, "Don't worry. Zero won't hear any of this." Axl stared at X; it was almost like he was a mind reader. Nevertheless, Axl chuckled,

"Thanks."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Axl stretched as he headed to break room. He didn't get much sleep after that horrible night and even drinking energy drinks didn't help; 5 if someone was counting. As he reached it, he saw most of the group was there, save for Marino, who was probably looking for some sort of juicy info. She never really did get all of that out of her system, but sometimes it proved extremely useful. Spider was currently playing darts with Zero, both of which were equally matched. Cinnamon was healing Massimo, who had a large bump on his head due to tripping and falling down the stairs. Finally, X was looking at data, like always. Axl wondered if he ever took breaks; probably not. Other than them, only a few other reploids were there. Everyone else seemed to be out on missions,

"Oh! Hi Axl-kun!" He turned to see the medic reploid waving a little. He waved back,

"Hey Cinn." Axl usually called her by this, since he felt like it was easier than calling her full name. Mostly because whenever some needed the ingredient cinnamon, the poor reploid girl thought she was going to be used to decorate someone's toast. Though, Axl thought this was more adorable than anything. He knew she was naive, but just took it in stride, always explaining situations to her if X or Zero wasn't around. He sat across from X and asked,

"You ever take your eyes off that thing?" X looked up and smirked,

"You ever try to do paper work?" Axl's paused, thinking for a minute,

"...Point taken..." Zero laughed,

"Axl to paperwork? That's a disaster waiting to happen!" Spider nodded, grinning, and joined in,

"Ya, he'd probably get so bored, he'd just shoot all of the forms." Axl gave a pouting glare,

"Ha ha. I FORGOT how to laugh."

"But you just did Axl-kun." Everyone slightly sweat-dropped. As everyone went back to conversing with one another, Axl was deep in thought. Why did he have that horrible dream last night? Why did he have these feelings that made him slightly feel worn down, and dare he say it, just a little bit depressed.

"Axl? You ok?" Axl snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the source of the voice, which was Massimo. Axl nodded,

"Ya I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Then why the heck are you a Hunter? If you always get tired then you should just give up." Everyone looked to the voice, and it belonged to the reploid named Randal. He was a young reploid who showed some good talent. Didn't stop him from being a cocky jerk. Spider rolled his eyes,

"Says the newbie that has never gone a true mission." Randal just shrugged, giving his usual cocky smirk,

"Don't really need to go on a mission to see a lazy reploid who does nothing but complain." Axl felt himself glare, but shrugged Randal's insults off. He turned around, opening a soda he got earlier.

"Ya. I may complain, but that's due to actually DOING something. Something that helps out the people around me. And being tired is not being lazy; get a dictionary. In fact, if you do, look up the word 'Hypocrite'. You'll find a picture of you next to the description." Everyone, even X, held back a laugh. Randal harrumphed and then smirked like he got an idea. Everyone knew that the idea he thought of was anything but good,

"And you'll find your picture next to the word, 'Backstabber'. Axl felt extremely insulted. What the Hell did he mean by that? But before he could turn around to rebuttal, Randal continued, "Didn't you used to work with that Maverick Group, Red Alert?" Axl felt his body freeze, as is if all movement had left him. He felt a cold shiver run down his entire body as everyone around him went wide eyed. Probably at the fact Randal actually said that. X stopped typing as he gave Randal a harsh stare,

"Randal, that's enough." Randal ignored X as he continued,

"In fact, you actually lived with them for a while. Didn't you think of them as a family?" Axl clutched his drink in fear, but did his best to calm down. He had to control his feelings. That happened a long time ago, and he repeated that phrase in his head, trying to ignore Randal's voice, but it still wrung through his head.

"Randal. Enough." X repeated, voice more strict than before, his stare turning into a full on glare, but Randal just went on,

"Did it feel good to join the enemy? Did it feel amazing to prove yourself to your old team? Did it feel relieving to get rid of all of them, your old friends, who probably screamed in agony as-"

"I SAID ENOUGH!" Everyone jumped as X slammed his hand on the coffee table in-front of him, his face becoming an absolutely terrifying glare. One of which could burn a hold in an entire novel. Randal blinked before just shrugging and leaving the room. X sighed as he squeezed his temples.

"Jerk." Spider found himself saying. X then looked at Axl to see if he was alright.

He wasn't.

Axl looked absolutely horrified as his soda can was completely crushed in his hand, some of the liquid leaving through the drinking hole. His eyebrows and entire body shook in horror, something that was completely...well...not Axl. Everyone looked extremely concerned as Zero walked over and placed a hand on Axl's shoulder,

"Hey Axl. You alright?" Axl jolted a little, before nodding, his expression of fear never leaving.

"I...I just need to think..." He then got up, dropping his soda can and left the room. No one was as concerned as Zero and X. They knew Axl since that incident, and never thought Axl truly got over it. Yes, it was something that had to be done, but it didn't make it ay easier for the reploid.

"Is...Is Axl-kun going to be alright?" X and Zero turned to the nurse. Zero looked down before saying,

"I don't think so..."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Axl was in his room, hugging his knees. He finally knew why he had these feelings; why he had that dream. He felt extremely guilty. All the memories came flooding back as he shivered.

"I...I killed them..." He hugged his knees tighter, "All of them...My..." He felt his eyes shut tightly,

"My family..."

* * *

Me: Huh...That was more depressing then I thought it would be...

Spider: Oh, ya think? Wait...You're still alive?

Me: Thanks for the vote of confidence...And ya, I lost them a while back.

MEANWHILE

Bass and Zero: *Stuck on the patio*

Bass: Ok. WHOSE BRIGHT IDEA WAS IT TO NOT REPLACE THAT F**KING DOOR?!

BACK WITH THE REST

X: Are they...Gonna be ok?

Me: They'll be fine!

X: No, I mean they might break out into a fight which would burn your house down.

Everyone: ...

Me: Well WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?! MY MOM WILL KILL US ALL IF THAT HAPPENED!

Everyone: *Runs to patio*

Light-girl and Gang~

P.S: Please R&amp;R!


	3. Frustrate

Me: *Drawing* I know you guys are behind me.

Bass: *Pointing his blaster towards me* Don't you have a chapter to write?

Me: Lay off. I just got over depression and am taking a little break.

Bass: Ya, that's what you always say...

Axl: That's a shame, cause X and me have yummy Dunken Doughnuts(C) and no one to share them with.

Me: 83! *Slowly makes way over*

X: *Smirks* Oh well. I guess we'll eat them all by-

Me: MIIIIIIINE! *Jumps between the two and noms on a Boston Creme doughnut*

Axl: Works everytime ^^

X: At least she has more energy than she did. ^^;;;

Me: Kay. Me write chappy nao :3

Zero: 'Bout time.

Me: dX

* * *

For the rest of the afternoon, Axl remained in his room; not wanting to converse with anyone. At one point he did think about leaving, proceed to find X and Zero, and talk to them how he wanted to punch Randal in the face. Instead, he stopped himself and remained confined where he was. He felt like he caused enough problems with the rookies finding out his past. At that moment, he heard a knock at his door,

"Axl-kun? You in here?" It was Cinnamon. Axl had thought about not answering, wanting to be left alone to think things over. However he DIDN'T want Cinnamon to worry, because when she did, she got so many people involved that is was like someone had just died. In the end, Axl decided to respond,

"Ya, I'm here Cinn." His door opened as the said nurse Reploid walked in and stood in front of him,

"You ok? You seemed pretty upset when you left the break room." Axl looked down, not wanting to make eye contact. It was something that he wasn't that good at and didn't like doing. Even when he was back at RedAlert, the only person he would make eye contact with was Red, and even then he tried avoiding it. Even after being with X and Zero for a long period of time, he tried to kept eye contact to a minimum. He felt it was very hard to do and it made him extremely uncomfortable when he was the center of a discussion and he was told to look at someone. He didn't just mind it, he absolutely hated it. The only time he didn't find it as hard was on missions, where he was more focused and felt a little more at ease with his comrades.

"I know. Sorry for making you worry..." Cinnamon sat next to him and took his hand in her slightly smaller ones. He turned to her, a bit confused, when she spoke,

"Your hand doesn't seem injured. Thank goodness. I was worried that you squeezed the soda can hard enough you got cuts." Axl blinked, then looked another direction, slightly embarrassed. Cinnamon always checked on others, even if they only received a tiny scratch. It's just how she was, because she cared, sometimes too much. Axl managed a chuckle,

"I guess I made a bad move, oops." Cinnamon smiled nervously as she put his hand down and placed hers in her lap.

"Axl-kun? I know I shouldn't ask but...Were you really in RedAlert?" Axl gripped his bed sheets as he let out a long sigh,

"Yes I was...Why you ask?" The girl started to become flustered as she looked down,

"W-Well...I guess I just wanted to validate what Randal said was true...I-I'm not judging you! I-I just wanted to know." Axl felt himself grip his blankets tighter as he clenched his teeth hard behind his lips.

_"Liar...She's a liar." _Axl was slightly surprised that he thought such a thought. Cinnamon would never lie, and even if she did, she would be terrible at it. Still, the small voice in his head continued, _"Who wouldn't judge you? You used to work for the enemy. A group that was slowly demolished, with your help. _Axl had begun shaking. He had no idea where this voice came from, but he wished it was stop, _"Now you're expecting for others to just forgive you? How laughable! How do you know that X and Zero aren't judging you either, hmmm?" _

"Th-They would never do that..." Axl said, slightly above a whisper.

"Axl-kun?" Axl's head jolted up to Cinnamon, "Are you alright? You're shaking...Do you want me to get you anything?" Axl blinked before letting out another sigh,

"No...I'll be fine. Just need to walk around a bit..." He stood up, Cinnamon following suit.

"Ok. But please let me know if you need anything." After saying that and giving him another concerned look, she left.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Axl found himself back the long bridge, contemplating on the days events. He really didn't want to be out in the open, but he couldn't deny that he need some fresh air. His thoughts immediately went back to what happened with Randal. Axl really did want to punch him in the face, but that would resolve in X giving him a seriously long lecture about how 'violence doesn't solve anything' to which Zero would reply with a smile 'unless dealing with Mavericks' then X would tell Zero to 'not encourage him'. Axl found himself smiling at the the scenario he had just thought up. Those two would say things like that before they both got into a speaking match; trying to prove which of them was right. He chuckled at this, but these thoughts didn't last long...

_"Is that just sweet? Thinking about how those two would even care about if you did the right thing." _Axl went wide eyed. The voice from earlier had returned and this time, it wasn't holding back. _"Both of them wouldn't even care if you disappeared. You are nothing but a tool for them to use."_

"...Shut up..."

_"You are worthless. Nothing more than a defect."_

"Shut up." Axl at this point was pleading deep down for the voice to just fade, but just continued on,

_"A traitor."_

_"A MURDERER." _

"Shut UP!" Axl had enough and kicked a trash can that was next to him. He found himself clutching his hands into tight fist; wondering if he was drawing blood. He felt eyes on him, and slowly looking up, it was none other than X and Zero. He went a little wide eyed, and blinked several times, hoping that the two of them were just his imagination. Unfortunately, the were very real, and both were shocked and confused. X had even looked up from his paper work, and while Axl wanted to laugh at that, the fact that he acted this way in front of two of his peers, made him think otherwise,

"Axl?" X had managed to say; still looking completely stunned. Axl managed to pull himself together and rubbed the back of his neck,

"Oh hey guys. Didn't see you there." He managed a smile before Zero asked,

"What just happened?" Axl froze for the third time today. He really didn't want to say he was hearing voices and that it made him angry. They might as well have written him off as crazy if he did so,

"Uh...I was just relieving some stress. Randal really got to me I guess, so I decided to take it out on a trash can. Better than causing a ruckus if I actually punched him." Axl gave a chuckle, but Zero in return gave a suspicious look, which made Axl feel on edge. _"Please let this conversation be over..."_

"Really now? I don't think hitting something like that is just 'relieving stress'. No one is going to be able to use that trash can anymore." Axl then turned to the said object and was surprised hard he hit it. In fact, if was almost split in two!

"O-Oh...U-Um..." Axl couldn't get any words out as he searched his mind for a better explanation.

"Axl...Are you feeling alright?" X sounded deftly serious, and Axl shuddered. He knew that X was talking about taking him back for a check up and Axl wouldn't have that. X would also pry him to death if he didn't talk, and usually he did. But something like this, something so stupid as this, he didn't want to let others know. Even if it was X and Zero,

"I'm feeling perfectly fine." Axl managed another smile, but both Reploids didn't buy it,

"Axl." He felt X's eyes burning into him, and his smile slowly faded,

_"Come on, not eye contact. Anything but that. I can't stand that..."_ All of a sudden, Axl gave somewhat of a glare, "I said I'm FINE. What more do you want from me?" At that both Zero and X were surprised and Axl found himself shocked at his own words. He would never say that to them. He may act out, complain, and even beg, but never would he talk back to X or Zero. He looked around slightly, anywhere but the two in front of him. "I...I just need some time alone to think. I'll catch you guys later!" With that, Axl gave a wave and was gone, leaving Zero and X dumbfounded.

"...X?" Zero turned to the blue legend. "I've got a bad feeling about this." X nodded,

"Ya. Me too." X looked back at his paper work, but he knew that he wasn't going to finish it.

* * *

Me: I did it! I saved the world B3

Spider: ...What?

Axl: She watched too much JohnTron. |I

X: Again?

Me: I am actually happy that I finished this earlier than I thought! I shall go draw nao |3

Bass: Oh great. Be prepared to wait months on end people!

Me: Hey! I never said I wasn't going to work on this! :T

Cinnamon: Please R&amp;R! That means rest and relaxation!

Me: Um...Actually-

Spider: Just let it be...


	4. Fear

Me: Hi everyone! Wow, I'm actually get these chapters up pretty quickly! Huzzah!

Spider: Now let's keep it that way.

Me: |C Anyway, I'm so happy to see that this story is doing well! It makes me overjoyed to see you guys like it! Please continue to read it, and throw in some opinions on what you like or what you would like to see! Now it's time to get back to torturing Axl.

Axl: ...Really...? =.=;;;

Me: You know I don't mean it. You're mah fav ^0^

Axl: ...Really? *Blushu*

Zero: Don't inflate his ego.

Axl: Hey! ):T

Zero: C|

* * *

Darkness. There was nothing else but darkness. Axl felt himself tense as he remembered the horrible dream he had the night prior took place in the same scenario. He took a deep breath hoping that relaxing, even if it was hard to do so, would slowly make him wake up. Though again, like before, it was hard to breathe and after inhaling, he started coughing, as if both his throat and lungs were on fire. Falling to his knees, he clutched his chest in pain and he swallowed anything that hadn't escaped his mouth yet. He did his best to even his breathing as he looked around once again. It was the same as before, except he saw what looked like someone, or something, smirking; like it was mocking him. He felt irritated but at the same time, agitated. He wanted to get up and wipe that smirk off of whatever face had it but he also felt like that would be a terrible decision.

_"It's been a while, Axl." _He went wide eyed. That voice... It was the same voice he had kept hearing and now knew who that voice belonged to. He felt himself scowl,

"Lumine." Just then, the one Axl spoke of just seem to materialize from the dark void and he stood there smiling,

_"How nice of you to remember me." _Axl rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to remember this psycho, but it was kinda hard to do so when Lumine himself was a bit of a creep; the ones who seem to stay in the back of your mind. Those kind of people are hard to forget, and not in a good way.

"Ya, I so wanted to remember someone who almost killed me." Lumine smirked at this,

_"But I didn't, did I? In fact, not killing you is probably for the best." _Axl blinked. What exactly did he mean by that? He was afraid to find out, but he turned toward the unhinged reploid. He shuddered as he saw that Lumine's face had contorted into a sadistic smile and his once pale pupils had shrunk into small dots, turning into a frighting shade of bright red. _"Because I get to have more fun this way." _Axl started to shake from sheer terror. He shouldn't be afraid of someone like him, but the way Lumine was staring at him, the way he seemed to unsettle every nerve in Axl's body...It was as if Lumine was staring into Axl's soul, like he knew everything about him, and that was just unbelievably unnerving. He suddenly felt Lumine's hand around his neck and stare at him with that same face. _"Oh yes...I can play with you as much as I want..."_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Axl awoke with a start, gasping for breath. When he came to his senses, he slowly brought his hand up towards his throat, checking if Lumine's were still there. He sighed in relief, flopping down back on his pillow. He tried to close his eyes, but whenever he did, he saw that smile. He couldn't go back to sleep; he didn't want to. Instead, he spent the rest of the night counting down the hours to when the sun would rise.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

X found himself staring at Axl, who was hunched over the table, poking at his soda. On his way to the mess hall, X had overheard some first-time hunters say something was wrong with 'Axl-senpai' and now he could see the reasons for the statements. Axl had dark circles under his eyes and a sullen expression on his face. To put it simply, he looked absolutely terrible.

"Axl?" He placed a hand on Axl's shoulder, who flinched at his touch. X blinked in surprise, but kept his hand where it was. Axl looked up at him and it was then that he saw Axl's eyes not only had dark circles, but they were...blank. X was unsettled by this as Axl stared for a minute before smiling his usual smile, or at least, he tried to.

"Oh hey X. How did you sleep?" X found himself thinking for a minute,

"I slept fine. How about you? You look completely exhausted." Axl's gaze looked sideways at the ground,

"...It was ok..." X knew that was lie,

"Did you have another nightmare?" It was a simple question, one that shouldn't cause too much of an issue. When X saw Axl's face however, he realized that it was something he have left alone. Axl looked completely terrified, his whole body shaking, as he clutched his hands into fists. X felt extremely concerned. Ever since yesterday, Axl looked extremely paranoid, especially after he and Zero saw him almost kick a trash can in two. The blue reploid wondered if Axl's nightmares were more frightening than he previously thought. X didn't really know how to handle situations like these very much, though he tried his best. Even if he made the situation more awkward.

"U-Um..." Axl tried to speak, tried to convince X nothing was wrong, but no words came, and mentally cursed himself for that. X then sat down next to him as Axl closed his eyes in shame.

"Axl what did I tell you? You don't have to be ashamed of this. Remember, you're talking to someone who has had one too many." X joked as Axl slightly smiled. "Was this as bad as the last one?" Axl shook his head, and X started to relax until,

"It was worse." It was barely a whisper, but X heard it loud and clear. He went slightly wide eyed and started to wonder why Axl was having such traumatizing nightmares. Then, he spotted something that caught him completely off guard.

"Axl?" The copy reploid looked at him, "Where did those come from?" X pointed slightly to the younger one's neck. Axl blinked, processing what X meant as he picked up a metal napkin holder; tilting his head a little to get a better look at what X was talking about. When he did, his eyes went wide with fear.

Bruises. Long, purple bruises had appeared on Axl's neck. X flinched a little as Axl dropped the metal holder; making it hit the table with a loud bang. Axl's hands remained in place as if he failed to realize that he had just dropped the object he was previously holding. He started to shake so profusely and X was a bit frightened that the younger reploid might actually be having a small seizure. Luckily, Axl placed his hands on the table, still shaking, and blinked a couple times, but his expression, although slightly relaxed, remained.

"X...?" He turned to the person he just mentioned. "I...I seriously have no idea how..." Axl looked like he was about ready to burst into tears at any moment. While it was something Axl would never do, or at least admit to doing, X knew his friend was way beyond caring at this point. "I don't...I have no..." X placed a hand on Axl's shoulder,

"Hey, how about we go see a medic? Get something to help you sleep." Axl looked at his mentor. With a slight nod and a reassuring pat on the shoulder, X led him to the infirmary.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Hmm...Well, I can't say for sure why you're suffering from these nightmares," The lifesaver said, "but I think this will at least calm them enough that you'll be able to sleep." She then handed Axl a bottle filled with capsules. "If you're nightmares are still severe, please let me know." Axl nodded,

"Thank you." He left the room and saw X, who was waiting outside, approach him.

"So what did she say?"

"She couldn't give me an answer to why they were occurring, but she gave me some medicine to help." X nodded, "Hey X? Please...Don't let anyone know about this. I don't want them to start thinking about how I can't handle some stupid nightmares..." The blue legend blinked, and then gave a stern look,

"Axl. How many times do I have to say it? You-""Won't be judge! I GET it!"

The copy reploid looked down, his eyebrows knitted together,

"Just...Please..." X stared at him, giving him a concerned look. Axl was basically pleading with him to not utter a word about it. While X could understand that his friend didn't want anyone to know, he also knew that keeping this between just the two of them was not a good idea. However, he knew Axl, and if there was anything he learned, the young reploid couldn't stand being the center of a conversation where he wasn't being praised. X finally sighed, and gave a nod,

"Ok, I won't but...Can I at least tell Zero?" Axl blinked, and thought for a minute. Did he really want someone besides X to know?

"...Alright."

* * *

Me: *Sleeping*

Bass: :| Are you SERIOUS?

Axl: Come on, lay off her!

X: Oy... |(

Zero: R&amp;R or you will be terminated.

X: ZERO!

Zero: )|D


	5. Better?

Bass: ...Ok. Where is she?

Zero: Last I saw her, she was passed out on top of her computer.

X: Hello readers. NF (Or Light-girl as she is commonly known now-a-days) wanted to apologize again. Her personal life was stressing her a lot.

Axl: That and was freakin' HOT like you were stuck in a boiler room.

X: Um...Ya, let's go with that. Since her personal life is finally calming down she plans to upload more chapters as best she can.

Me: *Walks in with a blanket covering me; including the top of my head* ...

Axl: ! *Smirks* We don't need to see your identification.

Me: ...*Snicker*

Zero: GAH IT LIVES! o0o

Me: Really? )|T

Axl: XD

* * *

Night had fallen and Axl was in his room, sitting on his bed. He looked at the bottle of capsules he was given and started to wonder if a small pill would actually help him sleep. It wasn't that he doubted the lifesaver, it was just that he was a little worried that it wouldn't work,

"Well, it can't hurt to try..." He got up, went to the sink in his room, and filled up a cup with water. He did as instructed and swallowed one of the tiny pills; drinking the water until the cup was empty. After finishing the drink, he let out a sigh and made his way back to his bed where he turned his lamp off and covered himself with his blankets. He absent-mindlessly pulled them up to his nose and stared at the ceiling until his eye-lids shut completely.

"..."

As Axl felt himself wake up, he felt warmth on his face; his shut eyes not as dark as before. Could it be...? As he slowly opened his eyes, he saw what he was hoping to see...  
Morning. It was morning. The medicine did it's job and prevented Axl from having any nightmares. He let out a long sigh as he found himself smiling. After a yawn and a good stretch, he got ready for the day and headed to get something in his stomach.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So you slept well then?" X asked, giving a slight smile to the younger Maverick Hunter.

"Yup! No problems what-so-ever!" Axl gave his usual bright smile before looking away nervously, "Um...Just wondering...Did you tell Zero?" X blinked before shaking his head,

"No actually. I wanted to see if the medicine did it's job. Since it did, I don't think he'll need to know." Axl nodded, breathing a sigh of relief.

"So any new missions today?" Axl asked,

"Not today no. It's mostly just more files to sort."

"Bleh. That sounds boring..." Axl stuck out his tongue at the thought of it. X chuckled,

"Ya, but somebody's got to do it."

"And that somebody is you right? Why don't you take a day off?" X shook his head, looking slightly stern,

"Axl I don't really have the time for days off. Things tend to pile up here even after a few hours. Even when I was starting out, taking breaks wasn't an option-""Ok ok! Gees, a simple 'No' would've sufficed!" Axl interrupted the elder, making an 'x' with his arms. X blinked before scratching the back of his head,

"Whoops...Sorry about that." The younger Reploid waved a hand in front of his face,

"Nah it's fine. I tend to forget sometimes you really don't have that option now-a-days." Axl paused, "If it's not too much trouble, can I help you out?" X found himself staring. Axl never offered to help X out with his desk work, and helping with paperwork of all things...

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Axl?" X joked and Axl's face puffed up,

"Hey! I'm still me!" He then pouted, "It's just that you helped me out the yesterday and I thought I could return the favor. But since you're making fun of me I don't think I will." X smiled slightly. He certainly was the same old Axl, and X found himself relieved at that. Seeing Axl like he did yesterday and the day before really didn't feel right. In truth, Axl was probably one of the more chipper Reploids. Someone who could joke around and make everyone feel better, even in dark times.

"Well if you really want to help me out, can you actually take this to my office?" X handed Axl a box. "I have to run back to Alia and pick up something." Axl nodded and took the box, which was a bit heavier than it seemed. He then looked at X,

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Alia lately. Say hi for me." X nodded smiling,

"I will." Just as he started off, Axl called after him,

"And ask her out on a date already!" The Blue Legend's face went completely red as he turned back to face the copy Reploid,

"Axl! We're just friends!"

"For now~."

"Oh HUSH and just do what I asked!" X exclaimed and stomped off; Axl snickering as he did so.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"What the heck is in this? A brick?" Axl scanned the box as he headed into X's office. He looked around for a good place to put it as he looked around the space,

"Pretty nice office. A little messy not surprisingly. X must be super busy now-a-days to not really pay attention to that kind of stuff." As Axl set the box on the desk, a picture caught his eye. Looking closer, it was a picture of X and Zero from a few years ago. Axl picked it up and saw that Zero was holding a sign above X's head which said, 'Totally not evil'. Axl found himself holding back a laugh at that, but then started to feel that lingering sense of dread again. Back then it was just X and Zero and they seemed to get along quite well. He found himself wondering if he ever made their lives much more difficult than they already were. He never really asked them about life before he came, and he wasn't sure he would get any answers anyway. All of a sudden, Axl felt like an outsider again; like when he had just joined the Maverick Hunters.

"See you find that picture amusing." Axl looked up and saw X in the door way, "That was from about 10 years ago. Seems like yesterday to be honest." He chuckled as Axl smiled before setting the picture down and looking out the window,

"X? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course Axl. What is it?"

"Am I..." He hesitated, "Am I ever in the way?" X blinked at Axl. What did he mean by that? Axl may be quick-to-act and sometimes got on X's nerves, but in the way? X couldn't ever think of a time the copy reploid was.

"Never Axl. Why ask me something like that?"

"I...I don't know. I guess I'm still a bit tired. Probably didn't get enough sleep after all." Axl made his way to the door before turning to X again, "Just a heads up, make sure to clean this office up a little. Alia will get on your case if you don't."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"He asked you that?" X had met up with Zero to talk about what had happened. X could always go to him when he had something on his mind, and vise versa.

"Ya he did." X leaned back in his chair looking at the ceiling, "You think what Randal said got to him?"

"I wouldn't know to be honest. Axl never really let Randal bother him before, but that was before Randal decided to spit out Axl's personal life." X nodded, sighing as he hung his head,

"I'm starting to wonder if he ever had a life outside Red Alert..." Zero looked at X,

"Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to tell you." X was a little shocked,

"He doesn't know?"

"Doesn't remember anything before Red found him and took him in. That's what he told me." X felt a pang of guilt hit him. He never once asked Axl about his past, other than his time in Red Alert of course. Now hearing that even Axl didn't know where he came from was just...sad. "He seems to not care about it much. He's more focused on now then the past, which in a way is probably for the best."

"You are probably right. Still, Axl acting like he has is just not him. It's like he's another person entirely." X sighed again, "I just hope he gets better soon."

"Same. Axl not being his usual upbeat self is kinda getting a little freaky for me." X chuckled,

"Won't deny that."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Ugh...Maybe I should take a nap. Not used to doing that but it might help." Axl was back in his room looking up at his ceiling. He started to wonder if he actually did feel better. He still felt tired and the lingering thoughts still hung heavy in his mind; not really an improvement from yesterday. As his eye lids started to shut, a sound startled him into an upright position. He saw that one of his guns had fallen off his dresser; luckily the safety was on. He got up and walked towards his gun and picked it up. "Gees, I should be more careful where I put these. As he looked up and glanced at the mirror, he went wide eyed. He quickly turned around to see if what he saw just then was actually there, only to see nothing.

Did...

Did he just see Lumine behind him?

* * *

Me: *Running around all happy* YES! I DID IT! I FINALLY UPDATED!

Axl: Well...At least she's happy again. ^0^

Bass: Ya, and when she's THIS happy my head suffers.

Me: Oh come on Bass, lighten up!

Bass: *Eye twitch*

Spider: Ok guys let's get this chapter up already.

Me: Oh right! Thanks for being patient for so long guys! Hope to update more often and hope you guys continue to read my stories!

Bass: And I HOPE you guys have earplugs!

Me: BC


	6. Thoughts

Axl: Yo NF! The new chapter's lying in wait!

Me: I know I know! *Running back with snacks to consume whilst working*

X: Um...NF? Aren't you supposed be watching what you eat?

Me: ...Are you saying I'm fat...? **BC**

X: N-No no! I'm talking about your health! I-I mean yes it's good to keep track of your weight-But that's not what I meant-!

Me: X?

X: Y-Yes?

Me: Please stop talking. **{|T**

Zero: *Pats X's shoulder* You really need to working on communicating with women.

X: *Sighs*

* * *

Axl decided to go to the shooting range to relieve some stress. Shooting his guns at targets never ceased to help, and it was a good way to get his mind off of things. Readying his gun, he started shooting at the targets and thought about what had bothered him lately.

Randal was a start, he was the one who started this whole mess with spewing out personal details about Axl. Three shots fired.

The rotten dreams he's been having. Another three.

Worries about being a nuisance to X and Zero. Two this time.

His thoughts wondered to the one person he did not want to even think about; Lumine. He was in those dreams, showing things Axl did not want. Three shots.

Causing him mental torture.

Five shots.

Saying things that made Axl doubt everything he knew.

Eight shots.

At this point Axl kept firing until he saw that he created a huge hole in the target paper. Feeling that some of the stress and anxiety had left him, he placed both guns down and looked up at the paper again. At that moment he thought he saw Flame Hyenard; dead and lifeless as he last saw him. Axl took a step back and blinked, relieved to see the image was gone.

_"Your expressions are always amusing."_

Axl felt the voice whisper in his ear. He slowly turned to see Lumine smiling at him in a mirror,

"How...How are you-"_"Axl, did you already forget? I told you I can more fun like this."_ Lumine disappeared before appearing behind Axl, _"Tell me, how'd you like the little image I showed you?"_ Axl swiftly turned around as Lumine grabbed his throat with his hands.

"Ack!"

_"How'd it feel to see your old friend as you remember him last? Bruised and battered as you delivered the final bullet in his head."_ Axl shut his eyes tight, trying not to listen. Hyenard was in pain and there was no saving him. He did it to help him. To give him peace. _"Do you feel the guilt yet? Your old friends are dead. You killed them Axl."_

No. No it wasn't his fault. He did it to protect people; to stop anyone else getting harmed.

_"You wanted to be recognized so badly by X you did whatever you could."_ Axl tried to get out an answer,

"Th-That's not why-"

_"You murdered your **FAMILY**."_ Lumine whispered the statement in Axl's ear to which Axl's eyes went wide and tears burned at the sides. Red Alert was his family, his home, and he lost both because of him. Red's final image passed through his mind, looking back at him. The one person who Axl looked up to like a father was gone. It was his fault...It was...

"NO!" Axl shoved Lumine and glared harshly, "I did NOT murder them! They were going to hurt more people if they continued! They were no longer the family I knew so I did what I had to!" Lumine laughed evilly,

_"Is that what you really think? Don't you think that they could've been spared?"_

"Of course I did! But-"

_"But I had to protect people and I couldn't see any other options!"_ Lumine spat out in a mocking tone._ "Pathetic. Red wasn't a loss cause though was he? He could've been saved couldn't he?" _Axl's eyebrows knitted together as he stared in shock at Lumine's question. Red had told him to go, to leave him, but somewhere deep down, Axl still wanted to save him. _"If only Zero hadn't stopped you, you could've-"  
_

Axl had heard enough and fired one of his guns only to see it go right through the unhinged reploid. Lumine let out a dark chuckle,

_"I guess I'll continue my fun later. Wouldn't like having unwanted attention from whoever heard that mirror break." _And with that, he vanished as if he were never there. Axl backed up against a wall and slid down, letting out a long sigh. His head with filled to the brim with anxiety again and his heart wasn't slowing down at all. Looking up at the ceiling, Axl realized that this nightmare was far from over.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"X-kun, have you seen Axl-kun?" Cinnamon asked as she patched up Massimo's head. While training he had bumped into some crates and one fell on top of his head. X shook his head,

"No I haven't. Last I saw him was about 2 hours ago. Why you ask?"

"Well, I was hoping he would go somewhere with me." Everyone stared at the nurse reploid and Spider grew a big smile,

"Well now, it seems our nurse friend has a crush." Cinnamon tilted her head in confusion,

"What? No I don't want to crush Axl-kun. That'd be mean." Everyone sweat-dropped.

"No Cinn. I mean you really like him." Spider explained and Cinnamon had a light blush on her face.

"Oh. Then yes I do."

"Hold on! You're not gonna even deny it?!" Pallette exclaimed as Cinnamon's confused expression returned,

"Why would I do that?" She asked.

"Pallette this is Cinnamon we're talking about. She couldn't lie if her life depended on it." Spider said as Pallette blinked,

"Ya you're right." Alia giggled and turned to Cinnamon,

"So where do you wanna go with him?" The nurse reploid shuffled nervously,

"Um, I was thinking about the park." All the girls, save Cinnamon, squealed.

"How cute! A romantic walk through the park!" Marino said as Zero smirked,

"Y'know Cinnamon, X and Alia should join you for a _double date_." Alia stopped squealing as both she and X grew beat red.

"ZERO!" X found himself shouting at the top of his lungs. Zero however just laughed,

"What's the matter X? I thought you were the best Maverick Hunter. You should be fearless!"

"Th-That's not the point!" The elder Maverick Hunter crossed his arms and tried to hide his face from Alia. The girl herself couldn't think of anything to say; the words weren't coming anyway. As Cinnamon still pondered about what they were talking about, she saw Axl walked down the hall. She smiled happily as she started run towards him, though as she got close, she saw he looked quite shaken up. Walking closer she called out to him,

"Axl-kun?" The said reploid's head shot up as Cinnamon jumped a little. Axl found himself smiling mostly in relief to see Cinnamon in front of him. For some reason, she brought a calm feeling to Axl, like her aura soothed his fears and worries.

"Hey Cinn. Sorry I startled you, I just have a lot on my mind." That was an understatement. Cinnamon shook her head,

"It's ok." She started to play with her fingers, "Um, if it's alright, can I ask you something?" Axl blinked,

"Uh, ya sure! What's up?"

"Would you...Would you like to go to the park with me? For a walk?" Cinnamon's face was beat red at this point. Axl had to think for a moment or two, and after noticing her reactions, he felt a blush spread across his face.

"Oh! U-Um...Ya sure! You wanna go now?" Cinnamon's face lit up as a large smile appeared on her face,

"Yes!" As both walked off, the rest of the gang smiled and Alia said,

"They are so precious."

* * *

Me: ROLLIN ROLLIN ROLLIN RAWHIDE! *Rolling on ground*

Bass: Oh dear God...

Axl: Yup. She's better. {|D;

X: And full of sweets.

Zero: We are so doomed...

Me: R&amp;R PEOPLES!

Bass: Help us please...


	7. Pain

Me: *Tied up* HIIIIISSSS! HISSSSS! WE WANT THE PRECIOUS!

Axl: Um...How much sugar did she have?

Zero: Enough that she ate every single candy in the cabnets. Worse than that-

Spider: How can it get worse?

Zero: She's craving...

Everyone else: ...

Axl: You mean she-

Zero: Yes. It's THAT time of the month...

Me: RETURN THE PRECIOOOUSSS!

Axl: *Sticks gum in my mouth*

Me: D8 GAAAH! *Rocking in the chair* IT BURNS US!

X: Axl, what did you do?

Axl: Gave her something sugar free.

Me: ZZZZzzzzzzZZZZZZ

Everyone except Axl: 8I

Axl: Always works.

* * *

The sun had started to set as colorful purples, pinks, and oranges covered the sky. Axl had went with Cinnamon to the highest hill for them to watch the colors appear and blend. The afternoon for Axl had gone significantly better then the morning. Both him and his lady had walked around the park; stopping to pet a dog or two. They sat near a fountain and talked about how their jobs were going which soon turned into talking about their personal interests. Axl was shocked to learn that Cinnamon was actually a fan of haunted houses and roller coasters. He always thought she was a scaredy cat about those sorta things, but he didn't mind. In fact, he thought it was actually awesome, though part of him was sad that Cinnamon wouldn't cling to him in the Haunted House. After realizing what his mind wanted, he blushed and changed the subject. He wasn't sure why he even thought about that. After talking for a while, Axl treated his date to ice cream; happy to learn they both liked neapolitan. Now they were on a hill watching the sun set.

"Thanks for coming with me Axl-kun."

"No thank you Cinn. I had a ton of fun with you." Cinnamon giggled and gave a bright smile,

"I'm happy that I could make you happy!" Axl blushed as he smiled; scratching the tip of his nose,

"Same to you." Axl looked up, as he thought about telling Cinnamon what really was going on with him. He wasn't sure earlier, but he believed that she was someone he could trust with everything, "Cinnamon?" The girl blinked. Axl rarely called her by her full name now-a-days,

"Yes? What is it?"

"Don't tell X and Zero, but I..." He hesitated and Cinnamon waited patiently for him to continue, "I think I'm having problems again." The nurse gasped,

"What?! Axl-kun that's not good!" She gripped his hand and pulled him up, "We should get-" Axl stopped her,

"Cinn no. I don't want to go back to getting check ups every week. I will be fine." Cinnamon shook her head,

"No you won't! I heard what happened to you! I heard how much pain you were in! I won't let that happen again!" Cinnamon tried to pull Axl, but he stood firm,

"Cinnamon listen to me, I-"" I will NOT!" Axl jumped a little, seeing Cinnamon now had tears in her eyes, "I won't let you be in pain anymore! I want to help you!" Something inside Axl snapped as he shook her hand off,

"Help me?! Cinnamon you CANNOT help me! You have no idea what I went through! Hearing about things and actually being there are two different things! And you weren't there!" He told himself to stop. He didn't want to hurt her. Unfortunately, the words kept coming, "Don't you get it?! You have someone to call family, you have everything! My family is DEAD! I murdered them all and I could do nothing to stop it! I lost everything I ever knew or cared about! THEY ARE GONE AND IT'S-" Axl held his breath as he felt his eyes fill up with tears, "My fault...It's all my fault..." Axl's head hung down as his hands clenched into fist; shaking profusely. Cinnamon stared at Axl, more in shock and concern then fear. Axl had never gotten this angry before, but...No, this wasn't anger. This was Axl's true feelings about everything that had happened pouring out, and even though Cinnamon agreed that she had no idea what Axl had experienced, she still wanted to help; to help him feel like he wasn't alone. So she did the only thing she could at this moment. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. Axl went wide eyed as Cinnamon hugged him,

"You're right. I don't have any idea about what you went through. But you are wrong about one thing." Axl turned his head a little to face her a bit, "You still have things you care about. You care about X, Zero, and everyone around you. And...I care about you." Cinnamon started to cry, "So please...don't blame everything on yourself. There was nothing you could do, and you helped Red Alert's suffering end. " She buried her head in his shoulder, "Red told you to live. So live..." Axl remained frozen. So Cinnamon had heard about Red as well. Feeling the emotions reach their peak, Axl clung onto her,

And he cried. He cried for the first time in forever, letting everything that bothered him, everything he held deep inside, spill over. Cinnamon did the one thing that he was too nervous to ask anyone do to.

For somebody to listen.

After a few minutes, Axl had calmed down a bit,

"Cinn...I...I'm sorry." Cinnamon shook her head,

"It's alright Axl-kun. As long as you are alright, I'm happy." Axl blinked as his heart skipped a beat. He suddenly felt so safe and warm in her arms. Heck the minute Cinnamon hugged him he felt like that. He started to wonder just how important was Cinnamon to him, and had begun to think maybe...Maybe she was more then just a friend.

All of a sudden, Axl felt stabbing pains in his head,

_"Aw how sweet. It looks like this girl is rather fond of you." _Axl clutched his head as Cinnamon held him,

"Axl-kun?! Axl-kun what's wrong?!" Axl couldn't hear her. Lumine's voice was loud and blocked out any other sounds,

_"It would be a shame if something bad happened to her." _Axl went wide eyed as he pushed Cinnamon off,

"Cinn...R-Run!" He felt his hand reach towards his gun. No...No no no! Not Cinnamon! Not her! "Lumine stop!" He pointed his gun at Cinnamon as she shook in horror.

_"She's so innocent isn't she? She doesn't understand why you are doing this. She will never trust you again. She'll hate you." _Axl shivered. The thought of everyone turning their back on him was awful. Having Cinnamon do it would be 10 times worse.

"A-Axl-kun...?" Axl heard her voice. How it trembled and was full of fear. He didn't want this...He didn't want her to be afraid of him!

"C-Cinnamon please! Get out of here!" Cinnamon shook her head slowly,

"No I...I won't." Axl stared in horror at her words. If she stayed...

_"How naive." _He felt Lumine's voice whisper in his ear, _"Go on Axl. You know you want to." _Axl started shaking. _"Her words are out of pity. She would never love someone like you." _Axl felt his finger on the trigger. _"She is like everyone else. Go on. Do it Axl." _His finger started to move, _"DO IT."_

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!"

A shot was fired.

Cinnamon's eyes were shut tight, waiting for the pain to hit. But none ever did. Slowly opening her eyes, they quickly snapped open as she saw what had really occurred. Axl was laying on the ground, griping his shoulder which was bleeding profusely. Axl had pointed the gun on himself to prevent Cinnamon from being hurt.

"AXL-KUN!" Cinnamon rushed to his side. Axl looked up,

"A-Are you hurt Cinn?" The girl shook her head violently and Axl smiled, "That's good..." Cinnamon started to cry again, knowing she did not have her medical equipment with her. Scared and anxious, she phoned Alia.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

**A few minutes earlier...**

"Those two lovebirds must be having a good time if they're out longer then anticipated." Zero said chuckling. X smiled,

"Agreed. Axl needed this in my opinion." Everyone aside from Zero, Alia, and X himself had left for dinner. The three of them had to check up on a few things like maverick spotting's, if any, and the usual paperwork. Zero found X periodically looking at Alia, to which he elbowed his old friend lightly,

"Seriously X, go and ask her out." X turned to Zero red in the cheeks,

"Wh-Why?"

"Because 1: Everyone and I mean everyone knows that you like her, aside from Alia herself, and 2: You haven't stopped looking at her since earlier." Zero explained and X was at a loss for words. It was true. He did like Alia and had for the longest time, but there was no guarantee that she would go out with him.

"Ok yes. I like her, but I don't think she's interested in dating me." Zero's eye twitched,

"Are you SERIOUS?!" Alia turned around in her chair,

"What's wrong?!" X turned to her nervously,

"N-Nothing nothing! Just...Zero experiencing a mid life crisis!" Alia blinked before giggling and turning back to her work. Zero stared at X unamused,

"Really?" X looked back at his friend and grinned,

"What?" Zero was about to come up with a remark when they heard ringing. Alia picked up her receiver and saw Cinnamon,

"Cinnamon! How is your-" "ALIA-CHAN I NEED HELP! GET X-KUN AND ZERO-KUN!" The mentioned Reploids turned in surprise as Alia blinked in shock,

"Cinnamon slow down! What's wrong?" Cinnamon took a deep breath as she spoke as steadily as possible,

"I-It's Axl-kun. H-He..." Ok, now she had their undivided attention,

"What happened to Axl Cinn?" Zero asked calmly, but deep down, both he and X were on edge. With the way Axl had been acting lately...

"H-H-He was in pain, his head I think...S-Something was wrong, he pointed his g-gun at me." Everyone froze. Axl did what...? "H-He looked like he was under control from something a-a-and he shot himself in the shoulder to not hurt me. P-Please come quick! He's l-loosing a lot o-of blood!"

"It's going to be alright Cinnamon! We're on our way stay put!" She hung up as she turned around, "X! Zero! Let's-" The two of them were already out the door.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"I-I must've scared you Cinn. S-Sorry for that."

"Don't talk Axl-kun! Y-You need to rest!" Axl weakly lifted his hand to her face, drying her tears,

"I made you cry too..." Cinnamon saw Axl's blood on his hand as some got on her face, but she didn't care. "Some hero I am huh?" Axl chuckled before moaning in pain. Cinnamon gripped his hand,

"P-Please Axl-kun hold on..."

"AXL!" Cinnamon turned to see Zero and X headed their way. As they got close both were stunned at what they saw. Axl's shoulder indeed was shot, but somehow the hole was bigger then what his usual bullets create. He must have put his gun directly onto his shoulder. Axl looked up,

"Guys...? What're you-" Axl gripped his head in pain again, but this time the pain was so severe that he started screaming. Cinnamon jumped a little as more tears fell from her eyes,

"Axl-kun!" At this point X was kneeling down next to him while Zero waited for Alia to arrive,

"Axl tell me what's wrong!" X gripped one of Axl's hands to which Axl squeezed as hard as he could. Axl was breathing so hard and his eyes were clenched shut. He was in so much pain, but from what?

_"That was unwise. You are only delaying the inevitable." _Axl was scared at this point. Lumine had worked his way from his dreams to torturing him whenever he could. He was being mentally raped, and there was nothing he could do about it. _"You are only going to lose everything soon enough..."_

"SHUT UP!" Axl screamed at the top of his lungs as X looked shocked. He knew that shout wasn't directed towards him, but then who was it directed at? Something was seriously wrong, but X couldn't do anything. He mentally cursed himself as he squeezed Axl's hand back. The younger reploid looked up at X, his vision slightly blurry,

"It's going to be ok Axl. Breathe." X spoke in a quiet tone. Axl did what he was told and did his best to steady his breathing. Lumine constantly taunted him as he did so, but he was able to focus on X's hand and Cinnamon rubbing his back. The pain in both his shoulder and mind was unbearable, but knowing that he had people with him made him calmer, even if only a little. Cinnamon looked at X,

"X-kun?"

"What is it Cinnamon?"

"Whose Lumine?" X went extremely wide eyed as Zero turned at the mention of the name.

"Cinnamon where did you hear that name?" X tried his best to calm himself,

"A-Axl-kun. When he was pointing the gun at me he shouted for Lumine to stop. Wh-Who is he?"

And at that moment, the entire world stood still.

* * *

Me: zzzZZZZzzzz...

X: Uh...How long does she stay knocked out?

Axl: She should be awake any minute now.

Me: *Nose bubble pops* Huh? What? Where am I? Where'd I go?

Bass: To Crazyville that's where...

Me: Huh...?

X: N-Nevermind, here. *Hands me a glass of water*

Zero: Please R&amp;R.


	8. Distress

Me: Well that last chapter was a doozie.

Zero: Ya think?

Me: Oh leave me alone. Anyway, I want to let everyone know that I am now in a new semester at college, so if I am slow updating again, please forgive me! *Bows*

X: Well you've been updating quite a lot lately so I think it's safe to say you will be good for a while. :)

Me: True true. ^0^

Bass: Now it's time to start more torture. 8D

Me: )8I

Axl: I hate you...

**WARNING: _THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS TRIGGERING ACTIONS. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION._**

* * *

After Axl was taken to the med bay for treatment, X and Zero waited with Alia, Cinnamon, and pretty much everyone else.

"Is Axl gonna be ok?" Massimo gave his leader a concerned look, to which X looked down,

"I have no idea..." Zero side punched a wall,

"Dammit! I thought we were rid of that asshole!" Spider blinked,

"Who exactly are you talking about?"

"And what does 'asshole' mean?" Everyone turned to Cinnamon, then eachother, and silently swore no more swares in front of her. X sighed,

"Lumine. He was someone who was planning to take over what Sigma had started."

"Except Sigma at that point was just a puppet to him. The lunatic thought he could 'start a new world'. Sort of an 'out with the old and in with the new' type of thing." Zero shook his head, "Evolution may take it's own course and that might have been his true purpose, but there was no way that crazy moron could be allowed to do what he was."

"Sounds like he was just lovely." Spider said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Cinnamon looked at X,

"But then why is Axl-kun experiencing what he is? If Lumine is gone, how is he tormenting Axl-kun?" Everyone was silent as they tried to figure out a reason how and why this was happening. X felt a sudden feeling of dread hit him as he looked at where Axl was recovering. He had a bad feeling about this...

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Dammit that hurt..." Axl was laying down in bed, rubbing his shoulder. The pain had subsided a little at least and Lumine had left; for now at least. Sighing, Axl shut his eyes thinking about what happened. "I can't believe X and Zero saw me like that...I must've looked really pathetic." His thoughts turned to Cinnamon, "She was so scared..." He placed his arm over his eyes. "Even though she was and I could've hurt her-"

_"Killed her." _Crap. Lumine was back again, but Axl decided to ignore him.

"She still stayed." His arm moved up a little for him to look at the ceiling.

_"She is quite dense isn't she?"_

"..."

_"Aw, am I being ignored? You wound me Axl."_

"You really think I care?"

_"Oooh someone has an attitude today." _

"I wonder why..." Great, now he was talking to himself. Sort of.

_"I just wanted to let you know I was there." _His voice was mockingly innocent and it made Axl's eye twitch,

"And that involved you almost hurting Cinn?"

_"Correction. YOU almost hurt her. I only provided reasons to do so." _Axl clenched his teeth in anger,

"Well your reasons are complete bull. I know how my friends act thank you."

_"Do you? Do you really?" _All of a sudden, Axl couldn't move. He tried his best but his body did nothing, _"I think you are only fooling yourself Axl." _Lumine appeared in the room, smiling his usual sadistic smile. Crap not again!

_"Come on body MOVE already!"_ Axl tried harder to move; he had to move. Lumine started to walk closer as Axl felt fear grip his heart once again. _"Not again! **Please not again!**" _Lumine now was on top of him, slowly wrapping his hands around Axl's neck,

_"I remember I left some nice bruises last time." _Oh god no... _"Maybe I should try to make them much nicer this time." _Axl felt his body finally move as he grabbed his gun and shot it off, to which Lumine disappeared. He sat up and looked around, as Lumine appeared on the far right of the room. Axl scrambled out of his bed and pointed his gun only for Lumine to shove him up against the wall. Axl coughed from the pain and Lumine got right in his face. Axl went wide eyed, and once again, his body failed him. He was afraid; terrified. More so then before, and Lumine silently laughed at this, _"You look like a small child. Though went aren't you a child? Tell me Axl, how important was Red to you? How close were you to him?" _Axl felt his memories with Red flash through his mind. _"He was like a father to you wasn't he? You and your old friends were probably the closest thing to a family he had." _Axl started panting in fear. _"Red must have felt so betrayed when you left Axl. One of his own was now against him." _Axl shut his eyes tightly. He didn't want to hear anymore but Lumine continued on, _"How do you remember him last? Do you see him as the building collapsed around him?"_

Stop it...

_"Did it feel good to bring down the enemy, which was your own family?"_

Stop it!

_"They must be so disappointed in you Axl."_

**"STOP IT!"**

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Everyone jolted upward as they heard the sound of a gun.

"What was that?!"

"A gunshot genius!"

"It was a rhetorical question!"

Just then a nurse ran down the hall, almost passing them before Zero stopped her,

"What is going on?"

"It's Axl-san! Something is seriously wrong!" Everyone went wide eyed,

"Oh god please don't tell me..." X whispered as he rushed to Axl's room; Zero and the others in toe. X started to pray to whatever God, whatever almighty being that was listening, that Axl was safe... And alive. Approaching the room, they saw several Lifesavers and onlookers had gathered. The doctors tried to enter the room, but occasionally a shot would be fired preventing them from doing so. One turned to see X and the others and went over,

"Thank goodness you're here X!" X placed his hands on the Lifesavers shoulder,

"Tell me exactly what's going on." The man shook his head,

"We don't know much ourselves. All we know is that Axl is in a state of severe panic and refuses anyone to get close." After a minute or two of discussing everything with the team, everyone was at a loss of what to do. Axl had never had outbursts or fits of panic before, so this was all new to them.

"Well we have to do something!" Marino exclaimed. Spider crossed his arms,

"What do you propose we do? We can't necessarily charge in there head first."

"I could if you all allow it." Massimo announced as Zero shook is head,

"Sorry big guy. Not really the best plan." Massimo hung his head, a disappointed sigh leaving him.

"Miss stop!"

Everyone turned around at the doctor's yell where they saw Cinnamon enter the room.

"Cinn no!" X rushed over as Marino followed him, groaning in frustration,

"I KNEW she'd pull a stunt like this!"

...

Axl couldn't think straight anymore. Every single fear, every single doubtful thought hit him and hit him hard. All he saw was blurry images and he couldn't hear right, probably from his intense panic.

"..un?" He heard a voice. "-xl-kun."

_"Cinn...?"_

"-'s ok...I-...-here."

_"What? What did you say?"_ Lumine appeared through his vision, right in front of Cinnamon, causing Axl to panic again,

**"NO!" **A shot was fired at the Reploid nurse, but Marino jumped in and grabbed her, causing the bullet to ricochet into the hall way,

"Hit the deck!" Marino called as everyone ducked.

"Ow! Spider watch where you aim your arms!"

"Massimo get off me!"

After the bullet had stopped, and bringing Cinnamon back with everyone, Marino slapped her cheek, "Cinn WHAT were you thinking?! Did you suddenly forget what is going on?! You know Axl might shoot you!"

"Of **course** I knew!" Everyone stood in shock at Cinnamon. She had never yelled, heck she never got angry. The tears threated to leave Cinnamon eyes, but she held them back and looked at Marino, "Of course I knew of Axl-kun's condition. I knew that he was in a panicked state. But...But he's in pain. He misses his old friends, and he blames himself for the whole thing...He feels alone, a-and he doesn't deserve that..." The tears fell, "He needs help, b-but I can't do anything now..." She looked at Zero and X, "Please Zero, X...Help him...Help Axl...!" She finally broke down, being held up by Massimo and Spider as X and Zero stood stunned. Axl still blamed himself for what happened, not only that, but he's thoughts about the whole thing was nothing short of unsettling. He thought of himself as alone; a murder. Someone who didn't deserve to have what he did. X remembered how he felt as a B-Rank hunter. How many people he saw die, and how many Reploids he needed to retire. Axl's mindset, truth be told, wasn't too different from his. X realized that when Red Alert's defeat came, it hit Axl hard. Not to mention seeing Red die probably made it worse. Zero looked at X,

"Kid's been through a lot...I didn't think how badly it really affected him." X nodded. Neither of them did, which made them feel terrible. Randal's insults came to their mind, remembering how Axl acted afterwards. Zero glared at a wall as X looked at him,

"What're you thinking?"

"I'm thinking of a certain cocky ass I want to smash into a wall." X gave him an unamused look,

"I'm serious Zero."

"So am I." Both sighed. X then walked over to Cinnamon and took her hands,

"Cinnamon I promise. Axl will be alright. Both me and Zero will see to that personally." Cinnamon blinked and nodded smiling as best she could. X walked slowly towards the door where he stared in slight fear at what he saw. Axl was curled in a ball, holding his gun like it was his last lifeline. X suddenly was reminded how much younger Axl was then him and due to how Axl acted now-a-days, X sort of forgot that he was.  
"Axl?" The copy Reploid's head shot up, "It's X." He took a careful step forward, "You are safe, no one is here to hurt you." X talked like he was dealing with a small child, keeping his tone soft and even,

_"X...?" _Axl wanted to speak, but no words came.

_"He'll get rid of you." _Axl jolted at Lumine's voice, clutching the gun again and X readied himself in case Axl shot it off, _"You don't deserve to live Axl. Everyone hates you. You're a traitor. Murderer." _The words repeated in Axl's mind, causing him to hyperventilate.

_"MurderMurderMurderMurderMurderMurder."_

"SHUT UUUUP!" Axl screamed as he pointed his gun to his head. X gasped in horror and immediately activated his dash function, holding both of Axl's arms to either side of him, "NO! LET ME **GOOO**!" Axl was fighting to brake free,

"AXL!" Axl jolted and looked up, his vision clear. X...It was X...It was...

"X..." His voice was small, shaky, scared. "I-I..." Axl passed out onto X's chest to which X lifted him up, carried him to the bed, and laid him down. X turned to the Lifesavers,

"If anything like this starts happening, contact me or Zero immediately." All of the doctors/nurses nodded and the ones on duty started to check up on Axl. As X left the room, he faced the group,

"Same goes for you all." Everyone nodded as Zero placed a hand on X's shoulder,

"You ok?" X looked at him,

"Not really. You?"

"Same."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hours passed since the incident, and after everyone was sure that Axl was at least ok and resting, they went to rest themselves. If you qualify staying up restless in the break room resting. Meanwhile, Axl was staring at the ceiling, his eyes blank. All that's happened...It was his fault. He caused so much unnecessary trouble. Propping himself up, he looked at himself in a mirror, instantly hating what he saw. However, he made no effort to move and took a good long look. He realized how weak and pathetic he looked, and how he was still just a kid. That's all he ever was. Causing issues for everyone, messing things up, and being an annoyance. Was X, Zero, or anyone even happy he was here? Would it be better if he...  
Axl looked at the desk next to his bed and saw a letter opener; there mostly for decorative purposes. He stared at it for the longest time, feeling it's metal call to him. He slowly reached out a shaking hand and picked it up. Looking at his reflection in the metal, he lifted it up towards his wrists.

No more thoughts.

No more doubt.

No more pain.

...

Zero, X, and Cinnamon made their way back to Axl's room. Cinnamon strongly requested that she'd come, and both elder Reploids knew they couldn't stop her. They knew how much she cared for Axl and would go with them whether allowed or not. Opening the door, a horrified gasp escaped Cinnamon's lips as both X and Zero looked on horrified,

"AXL!" Axl didn't listen, or he didn't hear, and continued his actions. Once again, X grabbed his arms and seeing them up close made him shiver. Axl dropped the letter opener as X gripped his shoulders, "What's gotten into you?! Why would you do something like this?! What purpose does doing that serve?!" He shook the younger Reploid, "Answer me Axl!" Axl gave an unsettling chuckle as he looked up at his elder,

"I'm really broken...Huh X?"

* * *

Me: I stand corrected. THIS chapter was a doozie!

Bass: Are you sure you aren't a sadist?

Me: Only to those who really tick me off.

Zero: Which are...?

Me: Oh bullies, arrogant pricks, homophobic asshats...Politicians.

Axl: *Snickers*

Spider: Have to admit that was good.


	9. Comunicate

Me: What's up guys? Hope you all are doing fine!

Bass: Ok, what's with the chipper attitude?

Me: What ya mean Bass? I'm always chipper!

Everyone else: :I...

Me: Ok maybe not ALWAYS, but I usually am! Besides I am pleased to announce that we are almost done with this story!

Axl: Wow really?

X: I'd thought you'd be sad about that.

Me: Well I sorta am, but I am happy because I haven't completed something in a while thanks to personal issues. Hopefully that will change soon enough. Anyway, they way I figure it, I'd say we have 3-4 chapters left.

Zero: Well you better bust your butt writing them.

Me: You know I will! ^0^

* * *

Whoever said, 'Make sure your enemy doesn't live between your own ears' could easily describe what was happening. After what happened last night, it was clear something, that something apparently being Lumine, had been effecting Axl in such a negative way that he resorted to...that. After discussing the whole thing with Zero and Alia, the three of them came to the conclusion that when Axl went to examine the remains, Lumine's final attempt of attack had implanted itself in Axl's forehead, bringing light to the whole situation. Even if it was only by a little. Still, X wondered just how bad was Lumine tormenting Axl. Sighing, X, who was in his office, rubbed his eyes. He stayed up the whole night, trying to get his mind off of last night's incident, but his mind wouldn't rest. "What the hell should I do?" He wasn't much for swearing, but he couldn't really help it right now. A knock at his door came,

"X?" He turned to see Alia, "I brought you some coffee." X nodded,

"Thanks Alia." The navigator walked over and set it next to him,

"Have you gotten any sleep?" X shook his head,

"No not really." Alia frowned, but knew when X had something serious on his mind he rarely got any rest. "Alia, have I been too hard on Axl?"

"Why do you think that?" Alia asked as X leaned back in his chair a little,

"Remember I wasn't all welcoming when he first came here. I thought of him as an enemy at first given where he came from. He tried his best and actually helped us defeat Red Alert, but I never once took into consideration on how hard that must've been for him. He even saw the one person that was pretty much his father die right in front of him." X sighed, "He's still a kid, but he's probably one of the more mature younger Reploids; always pushing himself. Which makes me wonder if he works this hard so Zero and I won't be disappointed in him." Alia placed a hand on X's shoulder,

"I think you've been doing just fine. Axl may complain and act out sometimes, but he always gets his job done. He looks up to you and Zero and that drives him to do better; because you two are his inspiration. You know he's still young, so you know he's going to make mistakes, though I will agree with you on that you could be a little too harsh when he first got here." Alia paused, "As time went on though, you really thought of him as a close friend right?" X nodded,

"Of course I do. I'll admit that I mostly turn to Zero but Axl's still very important to me." X looked down, "I just wish he could see that."

"He should've seen that a while ago." Alia smiled sadly before continuing, "You and Zero really care about him, to the point that I think he looks at you two like older brothers. The three of you kind of act like siblings too." X looked at her,

"Really?" Alia giggled,

"At least that's what everyone who sees you three together think." X looked down in thought. Deep down he had thought the same. Zero, Axl, and him had been rather close during the past years, and Axl was always the one to crack a joke or make other people smile. He was pretty much a younger sibling to X, and even Zero joked about how Axl's actions mirrored X's when he first started, to which X and Zero broke out into a "revealing mistakes" match; Axl laughing all the while. The times spent with the two of them were probably some of the best in X's life and thinking of this made him realize how much everyone needed Axl. He was someone who could lift everyone's spirits in dark times and his heart was always in the right place; always helping others when he could. X chuckled,

"You're right. We kind of are siblings now." His smile faded. "Though I think he is starting to follow...Zero's 'example' more." Alia blinked at his words as she saw X shiver. Was he talking about...? "All those calls with Zero. This is way too similar." He rubbed his temples, feeling all the memories of Zero's attempts and Axl's recent one hit him all at once. "Whatever is happening with Axl, at the moment I can't do a thing about it...These things always happen to the people I care about." He grit his teeth, "I'm never the one this happens to. It's always somebody who doesn't deserve it. It's always the people I'm closest to. It's always the same!" He slammed a fist on the desk, **"Damn it!"** Tears pricked at the side of his eyes, "Damn it..." Alia leaned down and hugged him close; X letting her hold him.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Once Zero had gotten back from a recon mission, both he and X agreed to go check on Axl. Cinnamon offered to join them, but Alia told her that they needed to see him alone, to which Cinnamon agreed. Approaching Axl's room, X stopped at the door.

"You ok pal?" X looked back at Zero, who was giving him a concerned look. "You know we can come back later if you-"

"No I'm fine. Just need to collect my thoughts." X said and Zero nodded. When they opened the door, Axl was upright looking out a window; his lower arms wrapped in bandages. X remembered how horribly damaged they were after what Axl did and had to take a deep breath to steady himself. Apparently not noticing the door open, Zero cleared his throat which caught Axl's attention. Turning his head towards them, and seeing that it was indeed them, his expression turned to shame and slight fear.

"Oh...Hey guys." Both Zero and X nodded. Zero remained in the door way leaning up against the frame while X sat in a chair next to the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Zero asked and Axl gave a sad grin,

"I could be better. Food could be too." Even now Axl was trying to crack a joke. Seeing that his remark had no effect, Axl fidgeted nervously and started rubbing his wrists. "Look I...I'm sorry about last night. It's just that-""Things on your mind?" Axl shivered at Zero's statement, and X shot him a slightly nervous/glaring look. Zero stared right back, indicating to X that small talk and reassuring words were not going to solve this.

"Axl." The said Reploid refused to look at X. "Just tell me why. Why did you do what you did? That's all I want to know." That's all anyone wanted to know, not just X, and he knew that. Axl gripped one of his bandaged wrists nervously,

"You wouldn't believe me anyway."

"I can't believe you unless you tell me." X responded, still Axl remained silent. X continued, "Is it Lumine?" Axl felt his entire body go cold; his entire mind go blank. Witnessing his response, X knew he had hit the nail on the head, "Axl you need to tell me if it is otherwise I can't help you." Axl grit his teeth,

"What would you do? Send me away to some loony bin if I told you that it was?" X stared in shock at Axl's statement, not because that he admitted that it was indeed Lumine. That was only slightly shocking. What got him was what Axl thought X would do,

"Axl you know I would never-""Tell me, what do I know X? I'm just a kid remember." Axl spat out, the words quite bitter as they left his mouth. X blinked before giving the young Reploid a stern look,

"You certainly are acting like one." Axl glared at X,

"Yes because my thoughts don't matter right?" Axl felt his voice rise, "You and Zero just love to judge me right?!" X went wide eyed,

"You know that's not true!"

"Come on X! We know that you didn't want me here in the first place! I was just a criminal who deserved to be locked up!" Axl exclaimed, letting out a sarcastic laugh as he did so as X felt his own anger rising,

"That was before I saw that you wanted to change!"

"And that was when?! AFTER I killed my family?!" X froze as Zero looked on in shock, "Don't you get it?! I killed all of them! Every single one, every single teammate, who actually gave a damn about me! Hyenard, Gungaroo...Red..." Axl shook his head violently, "They are DEAD because of me! They're gone!" Axl's head hung as tears fell, "They're gone." There it was. Everything Axl had bottled up, every thought and hidden regret, came out. X attempted to place a hand on Axl's shoulder but Axl flinched away. "And you...You come in here asking me why?" He let out a tearful laugh, "Even if I told you it was Lumine and all the crap he's been putting me through, I'd never hear the end of it." Axl wiped his eyes, trying to dry them.

"Why didn't you let me or Zero know? I told you to come to us if something was wrong." Axl shook his head,

"Would you have believed me?" X nodded, causing Axl to look up in shock.

"Axl you are many things, but the one thing you are not is a liar." X thought for a second, "Ok when it comes to messing around, you can be one but you aren't that good at it." X heard Axl give a small chuckle and he felt his mind ease a little before continuing, "Apart from that you never lie about serious situations, and Lumine was quite a serious one. After what happened to you, and seeing how bad the after effects were after the battle with Lumine, then yes. I would've believed you." Axl found himself staring at the blue maverick hunter.

"You aren't just saying that? You aren't lying to me?" Zero spoke up,

"Look kid, after everything we've been through you honestly think we'd lie to you?" Axl blinked before letting out a breathy chuckle,

"I honestly don't know anymore." Axl looked down at his wrists, "Maybe not knowing is for the best."

"What do you mean?" X asked, a little worried where this might head. Axl looked him,

"I mean about everything. Everything before and after joining Red Alert. I never really found out where or how I was made, let alone information about my copy ability. Maybe not knowing any of it is for the better. Maybe I don't want to." X shook his head,

"Axl that's not true. Everyone deserves to know at least a little about these things. Trust me, I know how you-""How would you know X?!" Axl's voice returned to it's angry tone, making X jump, "You at least have an idea where you came from! Me? I'm nobody! I have no fricken clue as to who I am or where I came from! Red might've known but he never told me! Yet you seem to know everything don't you?! Then who am I?! Am I a criminal, a maverick hunter, a **murder**?! Tell me X!" Axl's words were filled with anger and spite, but after he finished, his voice turned into a small whimper, "Who am I...?" Axl started shaking as he rubbed his wet face aggressively on his arm. X sat stunned; more so out of concern. Axl never really talked about things like this, let alone admit that he was extremely concerned about his identity. Like Zero had said a day or two ago Axl never really let it bother him. That is until A. Randal spat out everything and B. Lumine's mental torture. X thought back on the many times when he was concerned, even worried, about who he was and where he came from. After figuring it all out, he was still a little nervous about the whole thing, but he was more relieved then anything. After a moment of thought, X wrapped Axl in a hug, to which the young reploid tensed up at,

"Axl, it shouldn't matter if your origin is good or bad. What matters is that you are here now and how you act presently. You have grown a lot since we first met, in more ways than one. I know that I must've been harsh when you first came here and I know that I tend to still be sometimes." X sighed, "But that doesn't mean I don't care. You can talk to me or Zero at any given time, we aren't going to turn you away. It may seem like we are unapproachable at times, but that doesn't mean we won't listen. Just...Whatever is bothering you, whatever you're having problems with, we are here to help. Everyone is here for you Axl. Please try to understand that." Axl was wide eyed.

_"That's right..." _Axl thought, _"All I wanted...all I ever wanted...Was someone to listen; to understand. I wanted people to turn to and to accept me..."_

_"I wanted..."_

Axl's thoughts drifted to times back at Red Alert, how even though he was a amateur at first and screwed up a lot, Red always was patient with him, albeit a bit stern, teaching him everything and giving him helpful advice. The same could be said for the others in the group; some more then others. It was a place where he felt safe and secure. Even now, where he was and everyone he met...It gave him the same feeling of peace as Red Alert did. It was home.

_"Some place to belong."_

Axl felt the lump in his throat grow bigger as tears slowly fell again. He tried his best to hold them back, but to no avail. Finally, he leaned into X's embrace and broke down, clutching X's shoulder with one of his hands; X giving a small sigh of relief and Zero slightly smiling.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Feeling better?" X separated from Axl though still keeping a hand on the younger one's shoulder. Axl nodded drying the rest of his tears,

"Ya thanks..." Axl sighed, "Sorry you had to see that guys. I didn't mean for things to get this bad."

"Well it did. And for that..." Zero walked over and bonked Axl's head, "You get discipline."

"Ow!"

"Zero!"

"What? I'm just giving a friendly reminder." X was dumbfounded,

"Of what?!"

"You perfectly know what."

"We are hear to **help** Axl, not hurt him more!" X exclaimed and Axl started chuckling,

"I'm curious, were you two like this before I came into the picture?" Both blinked before X said,

"Sorta I guess."

"More so him then me." Zero said as X gave a look and said in a sarcastic tone,

"Oh yes because you never made mistakes." Zero gave a look back,

"Hey don't bring THOSE memories up."

"Gees Zero, never pegged you as a screw up." Axl joked as Zero gave an unamused look,

"This coming from the guy who loves to blast everything?" Axl remained silent for a second,

"Point taken." And after that, the three started to talk about, well, themselves. Topics varied from past missions to personal topics to just talking about interesting stories. It was a peaceful talk, where there was no worries or troubles. They all laughed and competed, vocally, like any good friends would. Though like X had admitted earlier, they were more like siblings now then anything.

"Speaking of which, how'd you date with Cinnamon go? Y'know, before the whole issue started." Zero asked and Axl felt a blush rise on his face,

"I-I think it went fine." Axl was looking down at this hands, playing with a small part of the blanket. Zero gave a small chuckle,

"Did ya kiss her?" At that, Axl felt steam blow out his ears,

"K-K-Kiss?! I-It was just a simple date with Cinn!"

"Uh-huh. Something tells me that you were planning to." Axl felt his eye twitch,

"What the heck Zero?!" Axl then pouted as Zero gave a smile and X sweat-dropped, but a chuckle escaped his lips. "Geez, you sound like an older brother nagging their sibling about this stuff."

"And what's wrong with that?" Axl blinked and looked at Zero,

"Oh uh...Nothing I guess." The copy Reploid avoid eye contact, feeling a little nervous about the question. "I guess I..." He paused, "I guess I kinda think of everyone here as family. You two are more like um...Like brothers to be honest." The two stared at Axl was fidgeting nervously, but both were happy that Axl actually said it out-loud. Even though they had a feeling for a while.

"Well you are kinda the bratty little brother who loves pestering his older siblings." Zero joked getting a laugh from Axl,

"I won't deny that." Axl felt tears in his eyes once more, trying to dry them again, "Aw geez not again. I'm way too emotional today." He gave a laugh, but tears dripped from his arm and he tried to hold them in. "S-Sorry just give me a sec..." Both X and Zero walked over; both on each end of the bed. Zero patted Axl's head while X placed another reassuring hand on Axl's shoulder. They knew that Axl was just happy and that was how it should be.

* * *

Me: Oh how I had fun with this chapter!

Cinnamon: So many feels!

Everyone else: *Stares at Cinnamon*

Me: *Giggles* Yes Cinnamon! All the feels!

Bass: Oh God, please don't teach her your vocabulary.

Me: *Sticks out tongue*


	10. Memory

Astral: *Staring at TV*

Me: Uh Yuma? Where'd you and Astral come from?

Yuma: Um...His favorite show is on so...

Axl: He's so curious ^0^

Me: It's really cute to be honest. X3

Zero: You do know that the chapter is starting right?

Everyone else: ...

Me: Well these two aren't doing anything bad. They can stay.

X: Um, how long is he gonna stare at the TV?

Yuma: Depends on the show really. ^^;

* * *

Axl recovered quite well the days that followed. He was stuck under surveillance for about a week or two which made the young Reploid restless, though he was able to manage, with his friends visiting when they could. Even his students, who he had started teaching just about a month ago, came and left some gifts. They ranged from flowers to get well cards to even candy. Axl felt embarrassed, even ashamed, that his students saw him like this, but was happy none-the-less. While he was recovering, he was surprised to see Lumine hadn't bothered him since the incident. He was curious as to why, but he wasn't complaining. A knock came at his door,

"Hello Axl-kun." He turned to see Cinnamon,

"Hey Cinn." She smiled as she walked over,

"How are you feeling?"

"A lot better thanks." The nurse sat down next to Axl's bed as she looked at his wrists. Axl noticed and smiled sadly, "Sorry you had to see what happened Cinn. Don't worry, I'll hide them for you." Just as he was about to cover them, Cinnamon gently grabbed one, causing the copy Reploid to look at her in slight shock,

"It's alright, I'm not afraid." She looked at Axl, "I'm just happy you are alright." She brought his wrist to her face and placed a soft kiss on it. Axl felt himself tense up as a slight blush covered his cheeks. She brought the back of his hand to her cheek and closed her eyes; smiling as she did so. Axl stared at her. She just seemed so content to be with him and happy that he was alright. He felt something in his chest tighten, more out of nervousness and feeling unsure of what he should do. Soon he found himself leaning towards her as she looked at him, eyes slightly wide and cheeks burning up. As their faces got closer, Cinnamon closed her eyes and Axl did the same.

"Whoa, are we interrupting something?" Both Reploids turned in shock to see the whole group at the door. Zero and Spider had smug grins on their faces, X had a knowing smile plastered on his, Marino and Alia were giggling and Massimo was waving. The young Reploids' faces grew dark red.

"WHAT THE HELL GUYS?! ARE YOU ALL SICK WEIRDOS OR SOMETHING?!" Axl yelled,

"No, we're just observers." Zero said, his smirk growing bigger as Axl growled.

"Um...What's a 'Hell'?"

Everyone sweat dropped.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Hey X? Could you stay for a bit longer?" X turned to Axl as he was about to leave. Everyone else had taken their's after about staying for 2 hours and so was X. At least until Axl called out to him.

"Sure." He sat back down, "What's up?"

"Nothing I just..." Axl fidgeted, "Just wanted to talk a little more is all." X blinked before smiling slightly,

"Ok. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well...I guess about you mostly."

"Me?" X chuckled, "I think you already know about me." Axl looked at him,

"I mean on a more eye to eye level." X's head tilted a little,

"Eye to eye?"

"Well, I know that you are a lot older and I tend to be an annoyance sometimes, so I guess I want to make sure that you actually think I'm...Y'know-"

"Axl." Axl jumped a little,

"Ya?"

"Are you worried about everyone judging you because of this?" Axl froze before looking down at his wrists. He knew nothing got past X, and this was no acceptation.

"I wouldn't put it pass them..." Axl rubbed his wrists, "They're probably thinking that I'm a whiny dumbass kid who can't handle stress. " X shook his head,

"If anybody did think that I would not tolerate it. Zero would probably try to smash them into a wall though..." Axl blinked as X continued, "He wanted to do that to Randel at least."

"Randel?" Axl asked, "Because of what he said?" X nodded,

"What Randel said was uncalled for. Not only that, but it sort of started this whole mess; intentional or not. Also, basically calling you a murderer was even worse." Hearing the word he hated the most, Axl had to choke back the tears that threatened to leave,

"I'm not that." X nodded,

"That's right. You're not." He placed a hand on Axl's shoulder, "You are someone who did what he thought was right. Who doesn't let anyone or anything get in your way to get the job done. You help others and cheer them up, even if they are knees deep in paperwork and won't listen at first." Axl snickered, knowing full well X was talking about himself at that moment. "Never change Axl. You are perfectly fine just the way you are now." X sent a reassuring smile and Axl, after a slight pause, smiled back,

"Thanks X. That means a lot."

"It's no problem." X stood up, "Now I think you should get some rest. Can't necessarily recover if you don't sleep." Axl nodded,

"True that." As X took his leave Axl looked out the window. The past week had certainly been quite eventful, and even though he had been through Hell and back, Axl felt more confident than ever before. All the worries he had were all diminished and every bad thought or action he had in his head disappeared. The only thing that he really concerned about was Lumine and why he hadn't shown his face for the past few days. He sighed, realizing that he wouldn't know the answer anytime soon.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

_"Hey Lumine!" An adult Reploid was in the doorway ready to head out. "When are you gonna stop staring at that computer screen and hang out with the gang for a change?"_

_"I have no interest in 'hanging out'. Unlike you, I actually have important things to do." Lumine placed his tablet pen down and took a drink of his water, "I do not want to waste my time spending it with slackers like you." The other Reploid flinched a little,_

_"Ouch. That's cold man..." _

**"What the...?" **Axl found himself staring at the scene playing out in front of him.

_Lumine sighed before continuing his work, drawing what looked like a plan to some sort of lift. _

**"Oh ya, that lift..."** Axl remembered that Lumine was the one who designed the one to the moon. **"This must be Lumine's memories. Why am I seeing them though?"**

_"As if they are truly interested in me." Lumine glared a little bit. "I hear what they say. I know what they think." He picked up his glass again to take another drink, before staring at his reflection, "I'm a child with his head in the clouds. A weakling that only knows computers and couldn't hurt a fly. They're wrong. They're the children. They're the weak ones. They're-" The glass had shattered in his hand from clutching so hard as glass shards embedded themselves in his palm. As Lumine brought it to his face to look at it, he smirked sadistically, "Yes...All of them will shatter like glass. They will break and fade from existence. Evolution must take it's course after all."_

Axl felt a shiver crawl up his spine as he heard Lumine's chilling statement.

_"I'll change everything. Change is for the better as they say. I'll make a perfect world where no one will kill me. No they won't even be able to touch me." Lumine clutched his wrist, chuckling in madness, "Blood will never flow from me again. The blood will be from them. All those who think less of me, who think they can toy with me...I'll kill them all..." _

Lumine broke into a fit of laughter, Axl continuing to watch. He couldn't look away from the scene, no matter how many times he tried to force himself. Just before he finally convinced himself to, he saw something completely unexpected.

Tears.

Tears were falling from Lumine's eyes as he continued to laugh,

_"As long as I kill everyone like that, I'll be fine. My world has no place for them. They'll say I'm mad, that I'm an absolute psychopath." Another fit of laughter, "What do I care? After all, I've known for a long time now that the madness inside me is all that's left." _

Lumine's laughter continued before Axl felt himself feeling faint and blacking out.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Axl's eyes shot open as he found himself awake in his recovery room. He blinked a few times before sitting up, seeing that the time was around 7 am.

"Been asleep for 14 hours..." He stretched a little as his recalled the entire dream. "I don't understand why I even dreamt of that."

"Dreamt what?" Axl turned to see X and Zero,

"Oh hey guys. What'cha doing here so early?"

"We usually pass by the recovery wing to get to the main control room. A lifesaver said that your sleep patterns from last night were a little concerning so she told us about it." Zero explained as Axl's eyebrows rose a little before looking down in thought,

"Huh...To frank anything with THAT guy is concerning." Axl sighed,

"This might take a while."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

After Axl finished his story, X and Zero sat in silence.

"Let me get this straight," Zero begun, still taking it all in, "You saw a memory that belonged to Lumine, and it was when he was first designing the lift to the moon. And you pretty much saw when he went off the deep end?" Axl nodded,

"That's the gist of it." Zero squeezed the bridge of his nose,

"This gets more and more complicated."

"I won't deny that. Though..." Axl paused, "It's strange. The way Lumine was talking and how he acted." Axl gave a shaky chuckle, "He sounded too much like me. It's terrifying to be honest..." Axl clutched the blanket slightly before X shook his head,

"Well no matter how much he may sound like you, he is not you and you are not him." Axl chuckled,

"I know I know. You're kinda acting like a mother hen X." X felt a slight blush of embarrassment across his face as Zero held back chuckles; a hand covering his mouth. X sent him a look,

"You laugh and I will blast you." Zero tried to hold it back in vain,

"I-I'm not laughing I sware!" Axl too tried to contain it before erupting into a fit of laughter,

"I-I'm sorry X but I can't help it!" X felt pulse marks on his head before bonking the other two Reploids on theirs.

"OW!"

"Now what did we learn?" Both Zero and Axl groaned as a knock came from the door way,

"Hello everyone." The trio turned to see Cinnamon. Axl waved with a smile,

"Hey there Cinn!" The nurse giggled and waved back,

"Hi Axl-kun." Zero smirked,

"Daaaaw. The two love birds are conversing." Axl and Cinnamon blushed as Axl pouted, looking down as he did so, and Cinnamon twiddled her thumbs. X chuckled a little before waving a hand at Zero grinning,

"Stand down Zero. What brings you by Cinnamon?" Cinnamon jumped a little in realization,

"Oh that's right! I actually came here with someone who said he knows Axl." Axl blinked,

"Someone who knows me?"

"Yes, the were quite adamant on seeing you." Zero crossed his arms,

"Did he say where he knows Axl?" Cinnamon jumped again before swaying a little,

"N-No he didn't." The three hunters could definitely tell that was a lie,

"Cinnamon, you should know lying doesn't suit you." Cinnamon looked down, her eyes clenched shut a little,

"I-I know X-kun." X smiled,

"It's alright, but could you explain who he is?"

"Wow, didn't know I would cause such a fuss. Should I come back later? " Another voice rang through the room and Cinnamon turned around,

"No no you're fine! Please come in!" The person in question entered the room, and Axl felt his eyes grow as wide as they could get,

"You're...!" The person smirked,

"It's been a while Axl."

* * *

Me: Hi ho! Hi ho! Off to write more I go! Doo do doot do do, do do doot do do~

Everyone else: ...

Bass: Seriously what is wrong with her?

Zero: The list is long and I don't want to read it off.

Yuma: Please R&amp;R!


	11. Proud

Me: *Places decorative tree next to my computer* Tis the season~

Axl: *Trying to sneak some cookies*

Me: Get away from there you!

Axl: Aw come on! They've been done for an hour!

Me: You can wait until after dinner.

Axl: What are you my mom?

Me: No that's X.

X: Oh my god REALLY?!

Zero and Axl: *Holding back laughs*

Massimo: *Trying to sneak cookies as well*

Me: NO!

Massimo: Aaaw. :(

* * *

"It's been a while Axl." Axl found himself staring in disbelief as the visitor rubbed the back of their neck, "Gees I don't look THAT different do I?" Axl then smiled a huge smile, one that had been hidden for days,

"Different? You look exactly the same!" Axl leapt up, much to everyone's surprise and the copy Reploid wrapped the visitor in a hug, "Minus!" The said Reploid laughed, patting Axl's back,

"Glad you remember me!"

"I can't believe you're-I mean how-Where did you-?""Woah woah woah! Calm down buddy! One question at a time!" Axl blinked before laughing,

"Oh right." Just then Axl felt pain in his arms as he cringed, "Okay...Maybe I shouldn't have jumped up so suddenly." Minus chuckled,

"Yup. You haven't changed at all.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So you were part of Red Alert Minus?" X asked and Minus nodded,

"I was a mechanic; worked on our weapons and such. I remember Axl bringing me his more times then I can count." Axl blushed in embarrassment,

"Hey, that was only when I was starting out!" Minus smirked,

"It was still a lot."

"But wait a minute. Everyone in Red Alert-""Died?" Minus cut Zero off before sighing sadly, "Unfortunately, that is the case. Aside from me, everyone didn't make it out alive." Axl looked down hearing that as Minus continued, "Only reason I survived was because I didn't really trust that so called professor from the start." X went wide eyed,

"You mean Sigma?" Minus looked at him,

"If it's the scumbag that tricked our leader into doing what he did then yes, we are thinking of the same guy." Minus leaned back, "I remember when I saw him for the first time. I had to bring Red's scythe back to him after tuning it up and I saw him talking to who you call Sigma. I didn't stay too long but Red introduced me to him. I guess he wanted to take pride in me cause he called me the 'best mechanic' in Red Alert." He chuckled, "Can't say I didn't feel embarrassed. The 'Professor' nodded and said it was an honor. The way he spoke, the way his eyes looked at me." Minus shivered, "I left right after introductions. I didn't trust him at all, but knowing Red, I wouldn't get too far with trying to convince him." Axl gave a weak chuckle,

"Red was always sorta stubborn at times wasn't he." Minus gave a small smile,

"Won't deny that." The room went quiet for a minute before Minus continued, "Axl, there is a reason I came here. First is this." He got up from his chair and handed Axl a piece of metal. Axl looked at it confused before,

"Wait...This is part of...!" The metal that was placed in Axl's hands was from Red's scythe. Minus, back in his chair, nodded,

"Yup. He asked me to give it to you." Axl looked up in shock,

"Wait but...! But I saw him..." The image of Red's death flashed through his mind. Minus nodded again, as if knowing what Axl was thinking about,

"Remember back when I told you that nothing could get through my workshop? That wasn't a joke. I literally reenforced it took take at least a bomb or two. Exiting through a hatch I built, I searched for survivors after the building collapsed. Red was on the ground in pretty bad shape. His lower half was completely gone and he was missing an arm. He was still alive, but he wouldn't be for long." Minus looked at Axl, "Axl...I want to let you know that Red accepted you leaving." Axl went wide eyed. "He knew that you weren't going to come back after everything that had happened, and understood your choice in the end." He felt his mind go blank.

"He...But then why did he continue to do what he did? Why didn't he stop?" Axl sounded desperate, wanting to know why his mentor and father figure continued their actions. Minus looked down sadly,

"He couldn't..." Then sadness turned into rage, "Because that bastard corrupted everyone." The room felt 20 degrees colder as the horrible realization sunk in,

"You mean Sigma turned them Maverick?" X asked, even though he fully knew the answer.

"Everyone had gone off the deep end. Sigma said if Red didn't do what he was told, everyone would never be the same. Red was horrified, pretty much everyone he knew and cared about had been infected with that blasted virus. That scumbag probably would've killed a few of them to set an example." Axl's thoughts became jumbled. All of this...All of this was caused by Sigma. Axl's expression turned into one of rage as he punched the wall behind him,

"That bastard..." His arm shook as he punched the back wall again, "That BASTARD!" Cinnamon gently placed her hands on his wrist before he could continue. He looked at her and saw the tears in her eyes. Axl felt his rage leave as he lowered his arm, "Sorry Cinn..."

"Axl..." The said Reploid looked at Minus, "Before he died Red wanted me to give you a message." Minus held out an audio file and Axl stared at it, "He said if I ever found you to have you listen to it." Axl reached out slowly, but stopped when he was a short distance away from taking it. Minus gave a concern glance, "Do you not want to?" He did. Axl wanted to hear Red's voice so badly it hurt. He wanted to snatch it out of Minus's hands and press play. But something deep down in his chest was stopping him. He felt fear grip his heart as he began to wonder what was really on that file. Axl feared that Red would look down on him; tell him he was a fool for leaving. Those thoughts and the fear that Red would reprimand him made his hand shake slightly. Just then, Zero placed a hand on his shoulder as Axl looked at him,

"It's okay Axl. Go ahead and listen." Axl looked at Zero for a minute before nodding, turning back to the file and taking it. He looked at it for a while before gaining enough courage to press the play button.

"Axl. If you are hearing this, I am no longer part of this world. I am sorry for not listening to you. I guess my stubbornness was my down fall." A chuckle came from the retired leader before a slight cough escaped him, "I will be honest. When you first left, I was enraged. I never thought one of my own would betray me, let alone work for the enemy. In truth, I felt like I was abandoned by someone who I cared deeply about." Red gave a sigh, "As time went on though, I had begun to realize the reason why you left. You were right. We weren't the same Red Alert we were before. We were nothing more than murders we promised to stop. Unfortunately it was too late for the rest of us. Sigma had been two steps ahead of us the whole time, and in the end I had lost everything. My team, my **family**, is gone and it's my fault."

Axl felt tears begin to well up in his eyes,

"I take full responsibility for what happened and all the trouble I've caused. Axl...I want you to know that you were a magnificent student. You grew up to be such a wonderful fighter, and I knew as I you fought me, that I at least did one thing right." Another cough, "Those two hunters are lucky to have you. They better treat you right, or I'll come back from the dead and show them the true meaning of "The Red Death". Sparks could be heard as Red coughed a little more harshly, "Guess my time is up. Truth be told I'm not completely ready. I still have a lot I need to do...Heh...Knowing you Axl, you can do all that and more." The audio was reaching it's end as Red said his final words,

"Thank you Axl. I'm proud of you."

The file closed as the room remained silent. Axl stared at the file for the longest time. Red was proud of him; he was happy in the end. Axl felt the tears in his eyes finally fall as he gave a slight smile,

"No Red...Thank **you**." Axl clutched the scythe piece and audio file in his hand, brought them to his chest, and finally broke down, "Thank you so much..."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_"Keep your shoulders straight!"_

_"R-Right!"_

_"And make sure you aim properly this time!"_

_"Right!"_

_..._

_"Awesome! I did it Red!"__"Don't get so excited over this!"_

_"Y-Yes sir!"_

_"I'm just kidding Axl. That wasn't have bad."_

_"Really...? Haha! Thanks Red!"_

* * *

Me: I CRIED WHILST WRITING THIS AND I AM NOT ASHAMED AT ALL! *Stuffs face with cookies*

Bass: Oh so YOU can have them!

Me: HUSSSH I'M VERWY EMOSHIONAL!

Bass: Oy...

Axl: R&amp;R!


	12. Love

Me: *Dragging myself across the room*

Axl: Um...You alright?

Me: UGH.

Axl: ...Is that a no?

X: She hasn't been feeling all that great. Just let her be with her Pizza Hut (c).

Cinnamon: W-Well at least NF-chan is relaxed for the time being.

Zero: Yes so let her start the chapter and DO NOT say anything that involves doing anything else.

Bass: Like what? College work?

Me: *Twitches and starts anxiously growling*

Spider: Oh CRAP!

Axl: ABORT ABORT! *Grabs Cinnamon and crashes through a window*

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS GONNA BE T RATED, I REPEAT, T RATED! With that said, ENJOY! **

* * *

"So...What do you plan to do now Minus?" The said Reploid pondered the question for a minute,

"I might head out. Truth be told I don't like staying in one place for too long." Axl's expression turned to one of sadness,

"Oh I see..." Minus flinched a little,

"Oh no, don't pull that little trick..." The copy reploid gave the puppy dog stare as Minus looked away, "STOP IT." Axl added tears and his old comrade shut his eyes tight, "YOU CAN'T MAKE ME." All the while, X and Zero looked on in amusement and Cinnamon was giggling. Finally, Minus sighed in defeat,

"Oh my God FINE. I'll stay for a few weeks..." Axl immediately smiled triumphantly,

"Great! Glad you changed your mind!" Minus rolled his eyes,

"Ya ya. You're lucky you're so cute." Axl blushed before pouting in embarrassment. Just then Cinnamon giggled a little,

"I prefer to call him adorable." Everyone looked at the nurse reploid as Axl's face turned into a new shade of red that painters were trying to create for centuries. Cinnamon tilted her head, "What?" Minus looked at her, smirked and turned to Axl,

"Wow Axl. Didn't expect you to bag such a cutie" Axl screamed a little as he pulled a blanket over his head. Cinnamon blinked,

"He didn't 'bag' me, he'd never do that." Minus stared at her for a minute before smirking and patting the lump under the blanket,

"Well THIS should be interesting when you two decide to get it on."

"MINUS I SWARE I **WILL **SHOOT YOU."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

After the amusing scene had died down, Cinnamon remained to change Axl's bandages. He couldn't look at her since he was still embarrassed and the nurse became concerned,

"Axl-kun what's wrong?" Axl shook his head a little,

"N-Nothing Cinn." _"My head won't shut up and heart won't calm down is what's wrong..." _Cinnamon looked down a little, a tinge of sadness in her eyes,

"Did I upset you?" Axl shook his head again, still averting his gaze,

"Of course not." _"You're upseting my thoughts in a impure way THAT'S for sure."_

"Then why won't you look at me?" Axl held his breath,

"Because..." _"I am not sure what I'll do..." _

"Because what Axl-kun?" Cinnamon placed a hand on Axl's hand and the reploid froze.

"Please don't touch me Cinn..."_ "I don't think I can take much more of this..." _Cinnamon gave a hurt expression and looked down sadly, placing her hands in her lap,

"Am...Am I not nice to look at?" Axl went wide eyed and finally looked at the nurse,

"No!" Axl placed his hands on her shoulders, "You are absolutely beautiful Cinn! You're sweet and cute and make my day when I see you! I don't think I could handle you NOT being around me! I-" Axl felt himself stop as he realized what he was saying. Cinnamon's face was a deep crimson as Axl let her go shaking a little, "I...I mean..." Axl averted his eyes. _"Crap Crap CRAAAAAP. Shoot me now..." _In the next moment, he felt something soft and warm on his cheek. As he realized what it was, his mind went blank. Cinnamon gave him a small kiss on his cheek and in the next moment his mind started to fill with thoughts he couldn't control. He was finally at his limit and yelled a little, causing the nurse Reploid to jump a little, "Screw it, I can't TAKE it anymore!" He grabbed Cinnamon and pinned her to the bed. The girl looked up at him with confused, yet curious eyes as Axl stared at her with, slightly shaking as he gulped. "This...This is ENTIRELY your fault Cinn...I can't control myself around you anymore. I want to hold you and kiss you...and...I like you Cinnamon. I love you." The nurse blushed, her eyes wide, before smiling the sweetest smile Axl had ever seen. She slowly freed her hands and placed them on both of Axl's cheeks.

"I love you too Axl-kun. I have for a long time." Axl went wide eyed, before smiling, slight tears forming in his eyes. He lowered his forehead onto Cinnamon's, his eyes closed in content,

"I'm glad. So so glad." He opened his eyes slightly and found himself looking at Cinnamon's lips. He slowly brought his face even closer and kissed her; something he had been waiting to do for so long. Cinnamon returned his kiss, placing her hands on his chest. This sent a slight surge through Axl as he deepened the kiss, placing one hand on Cinnamon's shoulder and the other on her head; slightly petting her hair. Cinnamon moaned slightly, wrapping her arms around Axl's neck, sending a chill up his spine. He broke the kiss to stare at his newly attained girlfriend, seeing her looking at him with her big, teal eyes. _"She too cute." _He then kissed her chin, moving down to her neck, causing her to whimper a little. Axl gave a soft chuckle, happy that he made the nurse feel this way. "Cinnamon..." He whispered her name causing her to tense up as a blush covered her cheeks; it getting darker with each passing moment. "I love you Cinnamon." Axl nuzzled his lover's neck, slowly moving a hand across the side of her body, resting it on her hip. Cinnamon whimpered again as Axl looked at her, "You feel ok?" Cinnamon nodded quickly and Axl chuckled before kissing her on her mouth again. Cinnamon slowly moved her hand to Axl's hair and undid his ponytail, causing his hair to fall down. He stopped the kiss and looked at her. Cinnamon giggled a little,

"I really wanted to see what you would look like with your hair down. You look very handsome." Axl blushed a little before smiling mischievously,

"Oh really?" He brought his face closer again, to which Cinnamon's cheeks turned red once again before nodding,

"Y-Yes really." Axl gave her a soft smile as he kissed her forehead.

_"She accepts me for me, and gives me so much to live for." _He kissed her again, a little more rough, but still soft and sweet. _"I love her so much I don't know what I would do without her." _The thought made Axl nervous and he deepened the kiss moving his hands to her hips again, slightly caressing them with his thumbs. _"No...No I don't want to think about that..."_ Lumine entered his mind for a second, but Axl erased his image from his thoughts. He wouldn't let himself be disturbed by Lumine; not now. He slowly moved his arms around the girl and held her close, kissing the middle of her neck making her gasp. _"I want her to always be by my side."_ A slight kiss lower then the previous one,_ "Sometimes I actually think about locking her away from everyone." _A kiss nearing the top of her chest, _"But that's selfish and would upset her." _Slowly, he nuzzled her chest, making Cinnamon shake a bit, _"I don't want to ever make her unhappy. I want to see her smiling. I want her to smile the very same smile that saved me..." _He sighed softly; his breath making Cinnamon shiver, _"I love you Cinn. I absolutely adore you." _He started to undo the top of her uniform, but Cinnamon gently gripped his wrist causing him to look at her, the nurse averting her gaze,

"A-Axl-kun. I-Is it really alright to be doing this? I-I mean...You're still injured." Axl blinked. Even now she was concerned about him. His heart pounded slightly faster as he gave the nurse another soft smile.

"It's alright Cinn. I'm perfectly fine." He took one of her hands and kissed it, "Especially when I'm with you." Cinnamon smiled brightly and placed the same hand on Axl's cheek,

"I'm happy then." She then remembered what Axl was doing before blushing a little, "Um...I-If it's alright with you, can you take off you're shirt f-first?" Axl blinked, his cheeks turning pink before nodding,

"If that's what you want." He sat up a bit and took off the white shirt he wore. Cinnamon's face was somehow a deeper shade of red as she took in the sight in front of her. Axl smirked, "Like what you see?" Cinnamon gave a small yelp and remained silent for a minute before nodding,

"Yes." The sudden answer left Axl feeling kind of shocked. After all, he never did this before and having someone like Cinnamon compliment him made him feel not only embarrassed, but quite happy. Axl looked at zipper which he started to unzip just a moment ago. Swallowing a large lump in his throat, he slowly moved his hand back to it as he looked at the nurse,

"You...You sure you don't mind?" Cinnamon nodded her head, but Axl could clearly see she was nervous. Her eyes were shut tightly and her hands slightly clutching the sheet of the hospital bed. Axl placed a hand on her cheek causing Cinnamon to open her eyes to see a concerned stare from Axl, "If you're scared Cinn, we'll stop." Cinnamon stared into his eyes, trying to figure out what exactly she wanted. She had read about things like this, even receiving "The Talk" from her father figure Professor Gaudile. She fully understood the concept; as a nurse she had to know this stuff. She was naïve but she wasn't stupid. Admittedly, she **was** nervous, scared even. She never thought about doing this until recently, and finally doing it made her unsure of what would happen. Then, remembering that she was with Axl, all her fears melted away. She shook her head,

"I'm fine Axl-kun. I'm with you, so I know I'll be ok." Axl smiled; happy that she trusted him. He took a deep breath and slowly unzipped the top of her dress. Looking down at her, he realized just how lucky of a man he was. The nurse's dress covered up the actual size of her chest and Axl found himself staring. Cinnamon noticed and decided to cover herself. Axl gently removed both arms blocking his view, giving her another soft smile,

"It's ok Cinn. You are...You're just so beautiful that I can't help myself." Cinnamon blushed slightly before smiling back,

"I'm happy I'm beautiful to you." Axl nodded, giving a brighter smile,

"You always were. Always will be." Axl then lowered his head and kissed her chest, causing Cinnamon to squirm a little,

"A-Axl-kun..." Axl froze. Hearing Cinnamon call his name out of pleasure made him feel just a little bit more nervous, but it turned him on even more. He took a slight breath before moving his hands onto her stomach, slowly raising them to the sides of her chest,

"I love you so much Cinn." He kissed her deeply, making her mind go numb from pleasure. She begun to use the tips of her fingers to slowly make up and down patterns on Axl's back, making him shiver and moan in delight. Then, as he was about to go further...

"Hey Axl, did I leave some paperwork for Alia in he-" Both Reploids looked up to see a stunned X, Zero, and Alia in the door. No one said anything for a while before X broke the silence, **"We'll come back later!"** The door then shut quickly, leaving both Reploids frozen; staring at the door in shock. Axl saw Cinnamon cover face with her hands,

"O-Oh my, h-How embarrassing." Axl sighed, mentally cursing that the moment was interrupted,

"No kidding..." He sat up, placing his shirt back on as Cinnamon zipped her dress up.

"Axl-kun?" Axl looked her,

"Ya?"

"I-If it's alright with you," She paused, averting her eyes and her cheeks turning red once again, "Um...M-May we continue this later tonight?" Axl stared at her with a bright red face. He could've sworn his mind was shooting off fireworks while a mini version of himself danced joyfully in his head.

"Y-Ya sure! If you want to." He scratched the tip of his nose, "So you will, uh, come back tonight right?" Cinnamon nodded, blushing but giving a bright smile,

"Mm-hm!" Axl smiled back and suddenly tackled her, causing her to yelp. He held her tightly, her head against his chest as buried his face in her hair. Cinnamon smiled and hugged him back. "I love you Axl-kun." Axl kissed her head, completely and utterly happy.

"I love you too Cinn.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Later that night, the group had gathered in the break room, Minus joining them. They decided to welcome Minus by playing some card games. It sounded simple, but the hunters genuinely enjoyed playing such games.

"So you're a master repairman Minus? Good thing cause Massimo likes to damage a lot equipment." Spider joked as Massimo had waterfall tears streaming down his face,

"I don't do it on purpose!" Everyone laughed and Spider looked at X and Zero, noticing that they were unusually quiet.

"Hey guys you alright?" Spider asked and the two jumped slightly before Zero nodded,

"Ya we're fine. Just...Thinking about something." Marino titled her head a little,

"Something? What something?" Zero and X looked at each other then felt a bit of a chill as they turned to Axl. He gave a look that had just a _slight _hint of murder in it. Massimo blinked and looked at the two older hunters then to the younger one,

"Did something happen guys?" The air grew more tense as X shook his head, fully aware that Axl was still staring at him,

"No nothing happened." X drew a card, it being the 2 of hearts. "Oh come ON!" He threw the card away from him as everyone jumped. Spider picked it up, it landing near him, and looked at it,

"It's just a simple card with hearts X. What's gotten into you?" X sighed heavily and said,

"I just saw something I shouldn't have is all." X froze as he realized what he had said. Zero made an 'X' with his arms as Axl's stare grew more and more menacing. Minus shrugged and said,

"Come on X, it's not like it means any...thing..." Minus, suddenly getting a feeling what was going on, look at Axl, who looked back at him. The repair man went wide eyed before smirking, "Well well well. It seems that my old teammate has grown up more than I thought!" Everyone looked at him in confusion then turned to Axl, who at this point was beat red, as was a certain lady reploid sitting next to him. Everyone then realized just what Minus implied and stared at Axl and Cinnamon whilst yelling,

"WHAAAAAAT?!" Axl yelled in frustration as Cinnamon hugged a pillow; covering her face.

"Dammit Minus! We were trying to keep quiet about it!" Zero cursed, but Minus just smirked,

"Well you weren't doing a very good job."

"I second that." Spider said, laughing as he did. X squeezed his temples as he turned to Axl,

"Look Axl, I'm sorry about ear-" A dark aura surrounded the copy reploid, "...lier..." Axl then immediately stood up, picked up Cinnamon bridal style, and started to walk out of the room. Just as he approached the break room's exit, he stopped in the door way,

"If ANY of you come within mere INCHES of my hospital room," He turned, a menacing look in his eyes, "There WILL be consequences." Everyone, even X and Zero, shuddered. With that, Axl left the room, leaving the rest of the team silent.

"Ok guys! I brought some sna-" Alia walked in to see the team with slightly disturbed looks on their faces, "Um...What happened?"

"Oh, nothing." Marino said,

"Dear God that was terrifying...Especially coming from him." X said, as Alia looked on in confusion.

* * *

I had a LOT of fun with this chapter! I have never written intimate scenes before, but I think I did pretty well!

Axl: WHY'D YOU HAVE TO DO YOUR FIRST ONE WITH US THOUGH?!

Me: Because I got the idea whilst writing the chapter, SUE ME!

Bass: I'll do MORE than that if you two DON'T SHUT UP.

X: Enough already!

Zero: Y'know what? I'm...I'm just gonna turn this off. R&amp;R guys. *Ends Chapter*


End file.
